The first group of Afghan interpreters and contractors who aided U.S. military and diplomatic missions arrived in the U.S. overnight Thursday. They will next head to Ft. Lee, an Army base in central Virginia, where they’ll remain for a week while undergoing security and medical screenings, before they are resettled across the country. About 2,500 Afghans are set to arrive in the U.S. in the coming weeks, the administration said. Of those, roughly 700 worked as interpreters, guides or contractors alongside U.S. forces and received special immigrant visas along with their families. More than 70,000 Afghans have received special immigrant visas since 2008.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 30, 2021 09:03 UTC