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134 Afghan Refugees Temporarily Placed In Santa Clarita Valley

After months of waiting and a rushed evacuation from their home country, over 130 Afghan refugees, including men, women and children, have been temporarily placed in the Santa Clarita Valley to prepare for their next steps toward making a home in their new country

Many of the refugees have been temporarily placed in the Santa Clarita Valley thanks to the combined efforts of the organizations at the federal, state, and local levels of government.

The total number of refugees adds up to 134, including 70 children of varying age, from young toddlers through late teens. 

All refugees currently in the Santa Clarita Valley were vetted and vaccinated before their placement, and are expected to spend at least 90 days at their current accommodations before they move on, according to State Department policy. 

The Santa Clarita Valley was selected as a temporary home due to the sheer volume of families seeking resettlement in Southern California, however unless an “incredibly generous” management company were to step forward, it is highly unlikely for any of these families to stay in the SCV, according to Lillian Alba, Vice President of Immigrant and Refugee Services for the International Institute of Los Angeles. 

“Right now our message is about welcoming our new neighbors. Some of these people are our allies who fought alongside our military forces… And other families are people who are high-risk, left everything behind and are under a huge amount of stress,” Alba said. “We want to invite the community to help our new neighbors and show them what living in America is all about.”

The International Institute of Los Angeles, founded in 1914, focuses on providing immigration and job training services for refugees in Los Angeles County, and is working alongside federal, state, and local agencies to help those in need get settled in the United States. 

See Related: Garcia Discusses Afghanistan Evacuation, Military Spouse Relief Act Live On Air With KHTS

While some refugees have been able to register for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at College of the Canyons, and children have been registered at local schools with the help of translators, many have a long way to go before they will be able to stand on their own in their new country. 

The Santa Clarita Coalition and Santa Clarita Grocery, two local non profits dedicated to serving the community, are set to help these people as they find their way in a new nation. 

“Starting with the early days after Katrina, where Santa Clarita Valley wrapped their arms around families from New Orleans, our Valley has a history of supporting people who have been displaced,” said Carl Goldman, co-founder of the Santa Clarita Coalition. “The Afghans are the poster families for dispalcement in the 21st century. We’re ready to assist in any way we can.”

Individuals and organizations interested in offering help to refugees in the Los Angeles County area, including those in Santa Clarita, can also contact the International Institute of Los Angeles.
“We’re actively recruiting for community volunteers and looking to partner for placement efforts,” Alba said. “We need assistance with food drives, donation of clothing, or even just helping families go to supermarkets, and also cash for resettlement costs and expenses.”


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134 Afghan Refugees Temporarily Placed In Santa Clarita Valley

50 comments

  1. Where & when can we drop off clothes & other household items ?

  2. Let me know what I can do.

    Kathryn

  3. I think it’s a great honor to be able to have these refugees in our community, even if it’s only for a short while. They have literally gone thru Hell to get to this point. They deserve our support while they’re here. I hope they all find good homes after they leave us. Wishing all or you the best of luck!

  4. I would love to volunteer and have kids cloths in excellent shape. Who do I contact.

  5. I wish we could focus on the people already living in this country in the same way. The homelessness problem is so big, yet we never see our government putting them up and supplying their every need. We need to do more for our citizens

  6. This is an opportunity for us to think beyond ourselves and help these people.

  7. Hopefully they’ll love their new counrty and vote for leaders who actually love America and the American values. Unlike current “leaders”

    • Oh STFU, the current leaders did not attempt a coup, forge official electoral voting documents, impersonate state electors in an attempt to pass off said forgeries. The current leader did not demand that Georgia state election officials find 11,780 votes that did not exist. The current leaders have not continually disseminated bogus charges of election fraud. The current leader did not suggest the Pentagon step in and override the will of the people and instill him as the winner. The current leader did not call on thousands of deplorable sycophants march/riot on our nation’s capital, construct a hangman’s gallow, plant a Confederate flag, hunt down Congressional members, threaten to kill Congressional members and Vice President Pence. Nor did the current leader encourage that sick twisted mob attackand kill 5 Capital police officers, nor did the current leader commit insurance, bank and real estate fraud, cheat in on 3 of his wives, get impeached twice, criticize our military leaders and soldiers and failed to protect the American people by lying about the nature and seriousness of Covid-19 virus. I could go on but space is limited.

      • Kms, don’t let Alice get under your skin. She is a possessed zombie, mouthing Hillay-Perlosi-Hill-isms. I would say she is off her meds, but she only takes them through syringes fired from dart guns.

        • There isn’t one single Hillary or Pelosi mention. Just facts. But heck I get it, you’re intimidated by intelligent women. You must live in a very insular world you petty little man. Or is it you mom’s basement? I forget, my bad.

          • No. I am irritated by loud, stupid, psycho-beaches.
            I have a long, successful career in a non-sexist profession, and paid off my mortgages. You do not need to mention Hillary-Pelosi for us to know whose hand is up your skirt making your lips move.
            YOU are a troll with no redeeming sointellectual. or intellect.

      • The current leader was way behind in the votes until 3am when the windows were boarded up, conservative auditors ejected, and van showed up with tens of thousands of “ballots.”

        The current leader also brought us the debacle in Afghanistan, sky high inflation, $5/gal gas prices, empty shelves in the stores, and a non-existent southern border. Tell us more about much you looove him, Alice.

        • The current leader will lead for 8 years… anyone, veven poop is better than that last wannabe bigot leader.

        • You are wrong about the election votes, TAP. Biden won, Trump,the narcissist, couldn’t accept it. He is recorded asking for Georgia to “find” more votes, as well as other illegal attempts at winning.If an election could be tampered with Trump would have won but he couldn’t pull it off. So off went the nuts to attack Pence, with Trump’s encouragement and we all saw how ugly it could be.
          Max, the angry out-of-their-minds Republicans have given the reasonable Republicans a bad name. Now you see so-called patriotic people (haha) disrespecting the office of president with their childish “Let’s go Brandon” t-shirts. It’s like a kid saying “Fudge,” instead of what they really mean.
          Get over it. Move on. Join your fellow man and be nice to each other.

        • Sounds like a bad fictitious movie

      • 🦬💩🙊🖕
        . . . . .

    • Kim’s,
      Why would they have American values, suddenly? They are refugees from another country. They need help. That’s all we need to know. They will be grateful but don’t be upset if they don’t think exactly as you do. I know you have a hard time with ANYONE who doesn’t think like you.

  8. “…over 130 Afghan…” It’s “more than” not “over” in this context. “… refugees *including men, women and children*.” Who else fits the category?

    This child needs education.

  9. Great, but, it is always possible that one or more may be, or become, radicalized, and are here to scout, plan, and attack the Great Satan!
    People from other countries have a much different view, outlook, ethics, and even thinking. It is unrealistic to believe they share our values, philosophy, religion, etc.
    For example, if they enroll in flight schools that may indicate a different kind of sight-seeing. Allah akbar!

    • . For your information, according to the FBI and the U S Govt. Office of Accountability, since 9/11, 73% of terrorist attacks on our nation occurred at the hands of Right Wing extremists groups. Let me repeat that, 73% of all attacks on our nation come from white Right Wing extremists, let that soak in.

    • You mean like Timothy McVeigh or perhaps the idiots who rioted on January 6, you conveniently left out them. Yes, they too have been radicalized. How long have you considered yourself a domestic terrorist?

    • Our country’s freedom includes allowing people to have different points of view, whoever they are.

  10. I understand Santa Clarita is the land of milk and honey and all that is great and good in the world but bringing these people into our beautiful little city and letting them learn our ways and blah blah blah blah blah blah is probably a pretty bad idea. All their lives they were taught that we are the wicked West.. That’s not going to change just because you showed them some pretty ppl and fancy stores. They’re beliefs don’t just go away because you are nice to them. They have friends and family that didn’t make it, ones that they lost, to the wicked West!! Keep that in mind posh super citizens. SCV, just messed up… I wonder how our gulf war veterans feel about this? Our real hometown heroes! Not to mention the homeless crisis. SMH. I love SCV. This was disappointing.

  11. Instead of the US leaving Afghanistan in a structured, planned and organized pullout – it was in actuality – mass hysteria, disorganized and seemed to run by a chicken with its head cut off.

    A completely embarrassing moment for Americans and for our government. The world was watching. Our leaders actions are responsible for the deaths of countless US citizens, military and friendly refugees who were abandoned in a hostile country – behind enemy lines to die.

    Our so called leaders say they’re “vetted” but when this “evacuation” was actually happening and hundreds of random afghanis poured onto all of these aircraft (some clinging onto the landing gear for their lives) it was freely admitted to and reported that most of them were NOT vetted.

    We now have 134 of these people living in our community. That’s reality. Are they the good guys or the bad guys? We don’t REALLY know.

    I will say this – if their vetting skills are anything like their “planned departure” from a war torn country then there is plenty to be concerned about.

  12. Don’t you people get tired of my side vs your side? Right vs Left? Any type of behavior or thinking far on one side is wrong and dangerous and considered extremist.. There’s always two sides to every story and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

  13. TAP & Steven, Truthful, Honest, Accurate words well spoken! Alice is delusional & totally one sided constantly harping on Jan. 6, leaving out the several bombings of the Capitol in the past & months longs Liberal/BLM/Antifa rioting, burning, looting, stabbings, beatings, etc., etc.! All aspects of our once decent societies are in ruins because of the Liberals & Xiden!! Facts/Truths/Honesty!! Wake up, not Woke up Sheeple!! Insanity Lurks! 666 Liberals!

  14. Do you ever travel beyond your own block?
    There’s a big world out there that you can see, unfiltered, with your own eyes and ears. Take a Fox break.

  15. Just reading the comments here confirms that we are in big trouble. Most people have no idea what is happening to our country and how bad it’s really going to get. God help us!

  16. Yes, Muslims have a phenomenal track record of assimilation here in the US. Ask Dearborn, Michigan.
    Or anyone in Minnesota.
    Have fun!!!!

  17. Are there still any Americans & interpreters Abandoned by Xiden left over there in Afghanistan?!?!

    • Are there still braindead White Nationalists awaiting Trump to pay their legal costs for rioting on his behalf on January 6, 2021? Umm…forgot to mention that you MORON

  18. Always amazing to see people judge immigrants based on their skin or religion, while the same people ignore the fact that the vast majority of religious and political terrorism in this country comes from white, Christian men.

    These people are far more welcome here than most of the people in this comments section.

  19. Wow. So no one watches the news huh? In the past few months alone, there have been documented REAL (not ‘fake’) cases where afghans have molested, raped, and killed women and children. The 24 year old last week who molested the 3 year old on a U.S. base, was caught and does not “understand why he is in trouble. He says it’s part of his culture to do this stuff.

    So now that they are here, we are making them at home, telling them how to access our education, housing, services.. where do I find out what they have been taught about ACCEPTABLE AMERICAN culture? And that raping, molesting, beating their women and children.. are not ok?

  20. ‘Temporary”?? RIGHT. Duplicitous Dems spend Our hard Earned Tax dollars while they whore more votes.

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About Jade Aubuchon

A Santa Clarita native, Jade has spent her whole life involved in community outreach. After graduating from Learning Post High in 2015, she went on to College of the Canyons to pursue a double major in English and Marketing. Jade spent several years as a ballroom dance performer for a local studio and has performed at public and private events throughout Santa Clarita. As KHTS Co-News Director Jade oversees the KHTS news team, which covers all the latest news impacting Santa Clarita. Along with covering and writing her own news stories, Jade can be heard broadcasting the daily local news every weekday morning and afternoon drive-time twice an hour on KHTS 98.1FM and AM-1220. Jade is also instrumental in reporting on-the-scene local emergencies, covering them on-air and via Facebook Live and YouTube. Another dimension to Jade’s on-air skills and writing are her regular political and celebrity interviews, including her bi-monthly interview with our Congressman Mike Garcia and many other local politicians and community leaders.