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The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve a resolution to welcome Afghan refugees to Texas’s largest county.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo expressed pride in the measure, which coincided with an announcement that Texas joined California as the two states to take in the largest amounts of people fleeing from the war-torn southwest Asian country.
“This week we unanimously passed a resolution in Harris County welcoming Afghan refugees,” Hidalgo, a Democrat, tweeted on Sept. 15. "The strength of our community comes from diverse people, many of who braved perilous journeys to get here. We're proud to welcome Afghan refugees who will undoubtedly make us stronger.”
Last month, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan at a rapid pace just as the U.S. was in the twilight of the 20-year war it had fought since the immediate weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
CNBC reported that the Taliban takeover prompted shock worldwide and even in the White House, as well as forced thousands of Afghans to flee the country's borders.
The mad dash for freedom has been epitomized in scenes from Kabul's airport of civilians rushing to departing planes.
An attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul claimed the lives of 13 American servicemen.
The plane carrying the last batch of U.S. troops departed Afghanistan a day ahead of the Biden administration’s Aug. 31 deadline.
The Houston Daily reported that when the Taliban formally announced a new government, it did so without naming women to leadership positions, prompting criticism from the U.S. and other nations around the world.
The Hill reported that Texas is to welcome 4,481 refugees, the second-highest figure behind the 5,255 evacuees slated to go to California.
State Department data shows that Texas and California have had a history of resettling a greater number of people fleeing Afghanistan since the beginning of the Global War on Terror in 2001.