Philippines may agree to the US request to host an Afghan processing facility, allowing up to 5,000 Afghans every batch to enter

The Philippine government is deliberating whether to grant a request from the United States (US) government to use the nation as a location for processing Afghan citizens, allowing them admission before being sent back to the US. 1,000 to 1,500 Afghans could enter the country per batch under this arrangement.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos, held a public hearing during which Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the US, stated that the US government had contacted the Philippines with this request. The aim is to temporarily place and process Afghans who have worked for the US government in Afghanistan or who have been previous workers.

Courtesy: Senate of The Philippines

According to Ambassador Romualdez,  they are not considered refugees but rather people with historical ties to the US government. Enrique Manalo, the secretary of foreign affairs, noted that the appropriate Philippine authorities had been holding discussions and formulating suggestions regarding the US request.

The discussions center on a variety of issues, including making sure that security precautions are in place and figuring out how long they would be staying in the Philippines. The US will receive its request from the Philippine government after which the Afghans will receive non-immigrant visas. It has been made known that these Afghans are attempting to emigrate to the US by requesting Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).

Reports have underlined the serious hazards faced by Afghan interpreters and other people who assisted US forces after the withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan. Now that they are in a precarious situation, the US government is looking for help to ensure their safe entry into the country.