Biden approves $976m for Afghan refugees in US

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden on Friday approved $976 million funding to help Afghan refugees who recently left Afghanistan to resettle in the United States.

"I hereby determine, pursuant to section 2(c)(1) of the MRAA (Migration and Refugee Assistance Act), that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the MRAA in an amount not to exceed $976.1 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs to support Operation Allies Welcome and related efforts by the Department of State, including additional relocations of individuals at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan and related expenses," Biden said in a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US evacuated at least 65,000 Afghans, according to numbers provided by the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

The White House earlier said it was expecting to resettle up to 95,000 Afghans in the US, the majority of whom arrived by the end of September.