RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration has received notification that the Department of Defense has authorized the use of Marine Corps Base Quantico to house Afghan refugees, as well as a national guard installation in central Virginia.
Fort Lee, an Army training installation in Virginia, was already housing immigrants who recently fled Afghanistan.
Capacity at Quantico and Fort Pickett in Nottoway County will ramp up in coming days to support about 5,000 and 10,000 people, respectively. That's according to an email a senior Northam administration official received and shared with The Associated Press.
The Department of Defense did not immediately return requests for comment.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine shared the following statement on Wednesday night about the temporary housing for Afghan allies in Virginia:
I’m immensely proud Virginia is leading the way in supporting U.S. personnel, Afghan partners, and other at-risk Afghans during this critical time. We must continue to do all we can to help get Americans and our allies out of harm’s way. I send my sincerest gratitude to our brave servicemembers and our State Department personnel working tirelessly on Afghanistan evacuations.
