South Florida Republicans favor opening the country's doors to Afghan refugees and visa holders, although there is currently no immediate plan to resettle them in Florida after their arrival in the United States.
The position of some differs completely from that of former President Donald Trump and some members of the Republican Party who have warned that "terrorists" will be allowed into the United States when President Joe Biden ends the 20-year military occupation of Afghanistan, which triggered a massive, chaotic, and deadly evacuation of American citizens, holders of special Afghan immigration visas, and other refugees who fear retaliation from the Taliban.
Florida's Republican senators and U.S. representatives are in favor of honoring the commitment made to 22,000 applicants for special immigrant visas and their families, along with refugees referred by the United Nations, the U.S. Embassy, or a designated non-governmental organization.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter to Joe Biden
“We believe that in addition to evacuation, it should include not only the 22,000 applicants for special immigrant visas in Afghanistan, but also those eligible for Priority 1 and Priority 2 refugee status.”
Trump's sentiments, like those of other Republican members of Congress, candidates for public office, and conservative news pundits, and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted: GA should not welcome Afghan refugees while thousands of Americans are stranded.
JC Torres, a Tallahassee-based development manager for the International Rescue Committee, an international organization that provides aid to refugees, said the process for settling Afghan refugees in the U.S. includes rigorous vetting before they are settled across the country.
Torres said there are no current plans to send Afghan refugees to Florida. Most of the refugees in the United States are currently at military bases in Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin until they are cleared to leave.
This news story was created from the Miami Herald: http://hrld.us/3hcqYTE