Gov. Steve Sisolak speaks during a Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force news conference at the Sawyer State Building Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
Published Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 | 7:45 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 | 8:45 p.m.
Nevada is expected to receive 150 Afghan nationals through a new federal program to resettle evacuees displaced by the U.S. withdrawal from the Mideast country.
In a joint press release by state officials and Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit that acts as the state office that resettles refugees, Nevada received notice last week of the Afghans headed here under the Afghan Placement and Assistance program. Southern Nevada will see 50 Afghan refugees and the other 100 will be resettled in Northern Nevada.
“My staff at the Governor’s Office for New Americans are working around the clock to ensure that our refugee resettlement agencies receive the support necessary from the state in the resettlement process of Afghan parolees under this new program, and the Afghan refugees and SIVs coming to our state,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said in the release.
“Nevada is and will continue to be a welcoming state for all. I am proud of our long-standing tradition of resettling refugees and other eligible populations fleeing from persecution fearing for theirs and their families’ lives and safety, and we stand ready to support the resettlement efforts in our state and the Afghan families seeking refuge in Nevada.”
In addition to Catholic Charities, the ECDC African Community Center in Las Vegas and the Northern Nevada International Center is helping administer the resettlement process, according to the release.
Catholic Charities will continue to resettle Afghan refugees coming to Nevada, said Deacon Thomas Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.
“As the State Refugee Office, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada will continue to welcome and help resettle refugees in Nevada,” Roberts said in the release. “This includes refugees and special immigrant visa holders (SIVs). It’s worth noting there are differences on the services and benefits available to this regular group of individuals who receive service from Catholic Charities, and the current group of Afghan evacuees who are fleeing from their country in light of the recent world events.”
Roberts said the lack of affordable housing was a key factor in allocating 50 people to Southern Nevada and 100 to the north.
The agencies said they are awaiting additional information, and no date for expected arrival of the Afghan nationals has been announced. The resettlement agencies will continue to coordinate with the state, according to the release.
“We will continue to collaborate with our refugee resettlement agencies to ensure that Afghan families have access to important resources necessary for their resettlement and integration in Nevada, and so they also feel welcome and safe in our state,” said Charina de Asis, director of the governor’s Office for New Americans.
The Biden administration has set a goal of taking in 125,000 refugees and their families to the U.S. next year.
As president, Donald Trump capped the number of refugees at 15,000, the lowest since the 1980 Refugee Act took effect. President Joe Biden faced criticism when he only raised the cap to 62,500 after taking office.
Despite recent evacuations from Afghanistan, the U.S. will fall short of that number by the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, officials said.
Biden is asking Congress to approve $30 billion for resettlement and special immigrant visas for Afghans and their families. Many evacuees worked with U.S. military and intelligence services during the 20-year war.
The Biden administration last week notified states that nearly 37,000 arrivals are slated to be resettled across the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
