Evacuated Afghan refugees arrive in Arizona

First group of vetted refugees arrived Sunday night

PHONEIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY/AP) - Governor Doug Ducey recently announced that Arizona received its first group of evacuated Afghan refugees Sunday evening.

He met with the Department of Economic Security and refugee resettlement agencies Wednesday. They discussed how to help the refugees prosper in their respective communities.

Just had a great conversation with @ArizonaDES, @CindyMcCain, Sharon Harper and refugee resettlement agencies about their efforts to help Afghan refugees transition into better lives and safer living conditions here in Arizona. @PlazaCos 1/ pic.twitter.com/B7yYN2M3i2

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) September 1, 2021

The governor confirmed that the refugees went through extensive background checks before arriving, and expects them to flourish in a statement below:

It’s critical that we keep our promises to the brave Afghan people who fought alongside us for their freedom and rights. They were instrumental in our operations in Afghanistan — they helped us take down terrorists and make the world a safer place.

The US is a City on a Hill—a global leader—and we should hold true to our promises if we want to keep that reputation. That’s why we are eager to welcome these refugees—who were our allies—to AZ as they flee the dangers of their country and seek safety and opportunity in ours.

We just received our first group of vetted refugees on Sunday night, and we know there are more on their way. These individuals have all been fully vetted through intensive background checks by national security agencies.

My thanks go out to everyone who joined us today for their efforts to help these people settle here in Arizona.

Gov. Doug Ducey - Wednesday, September, 1, 2021

Officials said tens of thousands of Afghans have been evacuated from their country with the end of the America's longest war. Many Afghan refugees allegedly helped the U.S. military as interpreters and in other roles.