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See inside one of the US bases housing Afghan evacuees

See inside one of the US bases housing Afghan evacuees

Sarah Al-Arshani

A man walks with a child through Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.David Goldman/AP Photo

Almost 10,000 Afghans are being housed at the Fort Bliss military base, the Associated Press reported.
It's one of eight bases housing evacuated Afghans.
The base is also holding unaccompanied migrant children who crossed over the US-Mexico border.

President Joe Biden's administration allowed reporters access to one of the eight military installations housing Afghans on Friday.

Afghan refugees line up for food in a dining hall at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where they are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

Reporters took a three-hour tour at Fort Bliss' Dona Ana Range Complex in El Paso, Texas, but weren't allowed to speak to evacuees, the Associated Press reported.

Around 10,000 Afghan evacuees are being housed at the base as they go through medical and security clearances to be resettled in the US.

Afghan refugees are processed at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village where they are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

"Every Afghan who is here with us has endured a harrowing journey and they are now faced with the very real challenges of acclimating with life in the United States," said Liz Gracon, a senior State Department official, the AP reported.

The US spent two weeks building the village.

An aerial view of Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village in New Mexico is seen Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Farnoush Amiri/AP Photo

Before being used to house evacuated Afghans, the base was built in the 1960s to house 1,800 soldiers, the El Paso Times reported.

Nearly a third of the evacuees at the base are children.

A child holds up a piece of artwork while drawing in a tent at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where Afghan refugees are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

The base is also being used to house thousands of immigrant children who cross the US-Mexico border on their own, the AP reported.

Families are kept together in tent dormitories that have curtains as partitions for privacy.

A soldier stands inside a tent prepared to house Afghan refugees at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 David Goldman/AP Photo

Each tent can accommodate 100 people. Single men and women have separate areas, the El Paso Times reported.

Evacuees are given a blanket, a pillow, and a hygiene kit, and sleep on Army cots.

Afghan refugees line up for food outside a dining hall at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where they are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

The El Paso Times reported that Afghans at the site can pick up clothes, shoes, and other necessary items that have been donated by corporations and individuals.

Evacuees with American citizenship or green cards are allowed to leave once they arrive at the base.

A soldier sifts through donations at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where Afghan refugees are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

A State Department representative told the AP other evacuees have to complete health protocols mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before being released.

If they leave before that, it could be used against their case for resettlement.

No one has yet been released from the Fort Bliss village.

A child looks at a phone at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where Afghan refugees are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

"Our goal here on Fort Bliss is to ensure the safety of the personnel in our care and expeditiously move them on to cities in the U.S.," Maj. Gen. Sean Bernabe said during a tour Friday, the El Paso Times reported.

At least 130 people have been cleared for "outprocessing."

A man carries food from a dining hall at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where Afghan refugees are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

However, they're waiting on resettlement agencies to confirm their placement before they can leave, the El Paso Times reported.

They'll most likely be resettled in Afghan communities like those in Northern Virginia and California.

Flights to the base are currently on hold since it's at capacity.

A child carries food from a dining hall at Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village, in New Mexico, where Afghan refugees are being housed, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

A Department of Defense official told the El Paso Times that the army is focusing on improving the quality of life at the camp.

More than 120,000 people evacuated Afghanistan by the US and allies after the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15.

A child walks through Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo

Not all of the evacuees ended up in the US and some are still being processed at bases in stopover countries, but the El Paso Times reported that 49,000 evacuees are at military sites across the US.