True: Under Operation Allies Refuge, 2,000 Afghans eligible for special immigration visas and their families have moved to the U.S.

By: Devika Kandelwal
August 18 2021

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True: Under Operation Allies Refuge, 2,000 Afghans eligible for special immigration visas and their families have moved to the U.S.

Fact-Check

The Verdict True

Since July, the U.S. has only evacuated about 2,000 Afghan allies and their families, a small fraction of the 88,000 who have applied for a visa.

Claim ID 5752551f

Since July, the U.S. has only evacuated about 2,000 Afghan allies and their families, a small fraction of the 88,000 who have applied for a visa. In light of the U.S. troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has announced Operation Allies Refuge: a plan to evacuate Afghans eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). Additionally, on July 22, the House voted to increase the number of Special Immigrant Visas. On July 30, the first group of Afghan special immigrant applicants landed in the country. Since July, the U.S. has only evacuated about 2,000 Afghan allies and their families, a small fraction of the 88,000 who are estimated to have applied for U.S. visas. Currently, U.S. troops are trying to operate the airport in Kabul and have taken over air control to facilitate evacuations. Many critics have said that the Biden administration was completely unprepared to evacuate Afghan citizens as they did not anticipate Taliban militants taking over the country this quickly.

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