The U.S. government is providing ‘necessary services’ to Afghan nationals receiving visa processing in Southeast Asian countries.
U.S. and Philippine officials announced that the Philippines has agreed to temporarily accept a “limited number” of Afghans for resettlement in the United States.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement Monday that the U.S. government will provide “necessary services,” including food, housing, security, health care and transportation, to Afghan nationals receiving visa processing in the Philippines.
“The United States values our long and positive history of bilateral cooperation with the Philippines, and we appreciate the Philippine government’s support of America’s allies in Afghanistan,” the State Department said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the agreement was undergoing “final domestic procedures” necessary to ensure its effectiveness.
Washington and Manila did not specify how many Afghans are processing visas in the Philippines.
However, the Washington Post, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that about 300 Afghan applicants would be processed in the Southeast Asian country.
The deal is the latest sign of deepening ties between Washington and Manila under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who, upon his election in 2022, departed from the populist stance of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
More than 160,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan after Washington withdrew its troops in 2021.
Thousands of others remain in third countries awaiting visa processing for their migration under an initiative called Operation Ally Welcome.
Many of those resettled worked for the U.S. government until the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan national security forces.
When news broke last year that the United States was asking its allies to consider accepting Afghan volunteers, some Filipinos objected on legal and security grounds.
Marcos stressed the Philippines’ “long tradition” of hosting refugees last June, but said the proposal raised “many security concerns.”
