Philippines Agrees to Host Afghan Refugees Applying for US Visas

The Philippines has agreed to a U.S. request to temporarily host “a limited number” of Afghan nationals being processed for resettlement in the United States, the State Department said on Monday.
Under the agreement, the U.S. government will temporarily provide “necessary services” for Afghans staying in the country, including food, housing, security, medical, and transportation.
Neither side provided further details on the agreement, such as the number of Afghan nationals allowed to remain in the Philippines and the duration of their stay.
The Philippine government said last June that it evaluated the request after President Joe Biden raised the proposal to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a meeting in Washington.
Washington first made the request to Manila in 2022, but Marcos told reporters in June 2023 that the U.S. proposal raised “many security issues.” He said there were “difficult legal and logistical issues” but did not elaborate, according to local media Benar News.
“They are Afghans who are being resettled primarily in the United States, and we are going to be the third country; that is the proposal by the Americans,” Marcos added.