As the U.S. approaches withdrawal, our Afghan allies’ lives must be prioritized

Such an emergency evacuation is well within historical precedent. Between May and December 1975, the Ford administration evacuated approximately 130,000 Vietnamese refugees to Guam for initial screening before departure to reception centers in the United States. In 1996, Operation Pacific Haven similarly airlifted 6,600 Iraqi Kurds to the U.S. island territory; their cases were processed, on average, in less than 120 days. Finally, in 1999, the United States airlifted 20,000 Kosovar Albanians to Fort Dix, N.J., where their eligibility for refugee status was determined.