In the midst of this winter, Operation Welcome Allies at the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Joint Base housed about 11,000 Afghan evacuees who were able to escape when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August.
Today, the joint base in Burlington County is the last remaining military facility in the United States, where Afghan evacuees are still stationed. Less than 1,000 people remain there while they wait for permanent housing in the U.S. across the country, more than 74,000 Afghan evacuees have been relocated through local resettlement agencies.
Resettlement agencies, with the help of community groups, have worked twice and thrice to accommodate Afghan evacuees who have arrived in New Jersey over the past six months, despite housing options limited by the Ida pandemic and storm. Agencies are asking for ongoing community support to help evacuee families make New Jersey their home.
