MANCHESTER – Mayor Robert Hudak discussed the need to learn more about what the long term plans were at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst regarding refugees that are being housed there from Afghanistan.
During a recent council meeting the mayor responded to a question from resident Judy Noonan about that issue. The mayor said he hadn’t learned much so far from the military.
Refugees arrived last month at the Joint Base as part of Operation Allies Refuge. It is one of four military installations in the country doing so. The evacuation includes Afghan residents who fled their country following the takeover of that nation’s government by Taliban forces.
“I reached out to the Joint Base. We are looking to have a meeting with them and get some sort of update from them. We got an e-mail from them and that was it. We really want to know what is happening and we’re really not getting a lot of information,” the mayor said. “We want to know what is happening in our community as well.”
“I have been told that the refugee camp is not on the Lakehurst side it is on the McGuire Air Force Base side of the Joint Base. I live in Burlington County and a lot of these first responders have been going to on base to take sick Afghans to the hospital and the local towns there have been reaching out to the base stating they have to have their own contract. A private ambulance service to do that,” said business administrator Brandon Umba.
“They sent an e-mail to those chiefs and there was an alert given out that they were exhausting their resources in Burlington (County). I don’t believe we have been called by the base but at this point there really hasn’t been any guidance given to know what the long-term strategy is, Umba said.
“That was the point of our e-mail because we want to know what the long-term strategy is,” Hudak responded. “What are the affects that we are going to feel here. I don’t want to engage in inuendo but we want to know what is going on.”
The mayor said that as to the camp remaining only in the McGuire side of the Joint Base, “that could change at some point. We don’t know. We don’t know what their plans are.”
The Taliban takeover led to a quick exodus of people from Afghanistan after their government fell. Thousands of people were evacuated via Kabul airport since the beginning of the rescue effort on August 22. Those evacuated include a mix of western government staff, agency workers and Afghan residents who worked with western governments. This includes those who are perceived to be at risk due to the nature of their work such as translators, human rights activists and journalists.
A representative from the base said back in August that the evacuees are being provided with temporary lodging, basic needs, transportation, and medical screening.
It’s not the first time refugees have been brought into the Joint Base. There were also displaced Lebanese and Kosovar brought there in recent years.
