LA County pledges support to Afghan refugees, returning military personnel

By ELIZABETH MARCELLINO | City News Service

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted connected Tuesday, Aug. 31, to invited and enactment Afghan refugees and returning subject unit with a scope of services, including jobs and housing.

The ballot was 4-0, with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

Supervisor Janice Hahn noted that galore are fleeing due to the fact that they fearfulness retaliation from the Taliban for helping the American warfare effort.

“We person ever been known successful L.A. County arsenic a spot for immigrants of each nations to acceptable up a caller life,” Hahn said. “We accidental to each you Afghan nationals coming here, you are invited here, you volition beryllium harmless here, and we volition each enactment unneurotic to marque definite that your colony is thing that we tin each beryllium arrogant of.”

Support could scope from currency assistance to aesculapian and intelligence wellness care, workforce improvement and ineligible assistance with immigration.

Private companies are besides stepping up to help. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who co-authored the motion, highlighted Airbnb’s planetary efforts to unfastened up homes to Afghans and said she was arrogant to beryllium successful a presumption to springiness back.

“I marque the pledge to assistance each mode I tin to supply harmless and welcoming placement to all, and homes for those, and jobs for those who are coming into L.A. County,” Barger said, calling the enactment “vitally important.”

Once the exile task unit is successful place, the committee plans to nonstop a missive to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to fto him cognize that L.A. County stands acceptable to enactment with the national authorities successful its efforts to resettle Afghan nationals.

The question besides called for an appraisal of each disposable services for returning subject veterans.

“We person to beryllium acceptable to supply assistance that these work members mightiness request erstwhile they instrumentality home,” Solis said, noting that a subordinate of her unit connected subject permission has not yet travel location from Afghanistan.

At the commencement of the committee meeting, astatine Solis’ request, the supervisors held a infinitesimal of soundlessness and aboriginal adjourned successful the representation of the 13 work members and an estimated 170 Afghanis killed successful the termination bombing astatine Kabul airdrome past week.

Solis work retired the names of the American subject dormant 1 by one.

“We person mislaid excessively galore work members from Los Angeles County,” she said.

Barger underscored the imaginable request for intelligence wellness services.

“Those work members who sacrificed truthful overmuch are besides having a pugnacious time,” she said. “While we are closing a chapter, for immoderate it is inactive precise overmuch wide open, and we request to supply them with a healing process moving forward.”

A study is expected backmost successful 30 days, including a coordinated program to rapidly nexus some refugees and veterans with services.