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SANTA ANA – A resolution encouraging the federal government to accept more refugees in response to the mass exodus from Afghanistan after it was taken over by Taliban militants was approved today by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
“There is enough room to accommodate any Afghan refugees who may be eligible,” supervisor Doug Chaffee told City News Service. “We want to increase availability up to the annual quota of immigrants. “
Chaffee said the county intends “to help if any of them end up in Orange County.”
A family of four from Afghanistan arrived in the county with the help of an Anaheim-based charity, Chaffee said.
“It is possible to officially welcome them by the end of the week,” said Chaffee.
Do was a refugee from Vietnam. He and his family were airlifted from Saigon on April 29, 1975, as part of Operation Frequent Wind.
“What I have learned over the past 46 years living in the United States is that America’s desirability is our best weapon against totalitarianism and oppression,” Do said in a statement. Press. “We remain the beacon that inspires and motivates people around the world to have hope, to aspire and to fight for basic human rights.
“That is why I urge the United States Congress and President Biden to act quickly to create an orderly process for admitting Afghan refugees and creating resettlement opportunities in the United States.
Refugee admissions are capped at 62,500 per year, supervisors noted.
Three-step plan approved by board of trustees at Tuesday’s meeting encourages county lobbyists to advocate for increased refugee cap to 100,000 Afghans, increases resources to process immigration applications and partnering with private and non-profit organizations to help refugees resettle here.
Chaffee and board chairman Andrew Do will hold a press conference on Wednesday to discuss a three-step process to help Afghan refugees.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.
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