Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell described the tent city housing Afghan refugees she saw during her tour of Holloman Air Force Base, where 14 refugees have tested positive for COVID, people can leave freely at any time and concerns remain about the vetting process.
Herrell, whose New Mexico congressional district houses Holloman and part of Fort Bliss, finally was able to tour the base on Tuesday after her request was delayed.
She said 2,000 refugees were at Holloman but officials there were expecting up to 5,000 in the next few weeks. And with around 14,000 refugees at Fort Bliss, her district will house around 20,000 refugees, the most in the nation.
Herrell wasn't allowed to take photos of the tour but U.S. Northern Command posted some of their social media accounts.
The freshman member of Congress described seeing enormous tents, 'several thousand square feet.'
Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, far left, on a tour of Holloman Air Force Base on Tuesday
A soldier at Holloman hands out drinks to Afghan refugees
Rep. Herrell described the tents and living situation for the refugees, above service members at Holloman lay out rows of cots
She said the tents were sectioned off with heavy black plastic to make separate sleeping quarters for the refugees. There was a separate multi-purpose room, a cafeteria and a shower there. And she praised the efforts of the military to build the new facilities so quickly as refugees were brought in.
During her tour she witnessed 150 refugees arriving on a Southwest Airlines Flight. The White House estimates that 65,000 Afghans will arrive in the U.S. this month and another 30,000 in months ahead.
'They get them off the plane, they showed us the process. They're fatigued, they're tired, they're hungry. They right away give them a refreshment, you know, water some food, then they go through a very quick screening health screening.'
She said COVID tests are being done.
'Of the 2,000 people there, they had 14 positive COVID tests, and so those 14 people were quarantine,' she noted.
The refugees are given food, housing and medical checks but are also free to leave. Although many of them don't as they are not allowed back inside and, while they are on the base, officials are fast tracking their paperwork for permanent residence status.
'They are unable to hold them there against their will, with the Afghan refugee wants to leave the base, they absolutely can,' Herrell told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. 'But how the caveat is that they leave, they can't come back.'
She added that officials 'don't expect very many of them to leave, because at the base, they're going to have the access to the paperwork that fast track getting their status, and President Biden, as I understand that wants to give these, these Afghans actual status you know citizenship status so that they can vote.'
Refugees with the special SIV visas - designated for Afghanis who helped the United States during its time in Afghanistan - are able to procure permanent residency. After five years as a permanent resident, a person can apply for full American citizenship.
Herrell said the fast-tracking, the rapid evacuation, and the fast movement of refugees to the U.S. had her concerned that some could slip through the cracks.
'Oh they're 100% fast tracking it. And that's why we have the concerns,' she said.
She said that the U.S. should help Afghanis who were allies but there was also an obligation to protect the country.
'We absolutely have a responsibility to honor our promise to help the Afghan nationals and their families,' she said. 'That's absolutely priority, but we also have a priority to ensure the system is going to work, and that we're not going to find ourselves setting America up for another attack.'
Herrell has repeatedly raised questions about the vetting process. She is working with other Republican lawmakers on a letter to President Biden flagging their concerns.
'We write to express our grave concern about the rushed and incomplete vetting of Afghan evacuees being brought to the United States,' an early draft of the letter, obtained by
