Inside the NCC in Loudoun County where 4,300 Afghan refugees are passing through
LANSDOWNE, Va. (7News) — 7News is on Your Side giving you a rare inside look into the National Conference Center (NCC) in Loudoun County, Va. where Afghan refugees are being processed. It’s all a part of Operation Allies Welcome, which includes a lot of organizations and federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security.
Since March 1, 2022, more than 4,300 Afghan refugees have passed through the National Conference Center and there are about 650 refugees there today. From Afghanistan to the United States, it has been a long journey for many families, who fled the Taliban and are seeking a new life in the United States.
After spending about a month at the National Conference Center in Loudoun County, this Afghan family is getting on a bus to go to an airport where they will travel to their final destination in the U.S. And that’s when many of the refugees will pursue different paths to stay in the U.S. permanently.
When the Afghan refugees arrive at the NCC, they receive a COVID-19 test.
“On occasion, we do have a COVID spike. The most is 3%,” said Dr. Michael Stanley, the Federal Chief Medical Officer at the National Conference Center.”
Dr. Stanley said on average the COVID-19 positivity rate is below 1%.
He said adults are fully vaccinated and they’re working on offering vaccines for kids.
READ | DC area organizations continue to help Afghan refugees, 6 months after their DMV arrival
After orientation, the refugees move to their third stop.
“During their check-in appointment we get biometric data and intake interview,” said Betsy Nash, Site Director of Afghan Evacuee Operations with the International Rescue Committee, an organization Nash said was founded by Albert Einstein.
The room is decorated with artwork from Afghan children who are among the 4,300 people who have passed through the NCC so far. And the NCC has a room where adults start the process of employment authorization in the U.S.
READ | Church raising money so Afghan refugee who served with US troops can live American dream
About 45% of the people in Operation Allies Welcome are under the age of 18, according to a DHS spokesperson.
While they’re here, the kids and adults have some fun and they rest in hotel-styled rooms.
“We have a guest room and a suite,” said Kelli Mueller, the Director of Operations for the National Conference Center. “We have 917 guest rooms.”
The refugees can take up counseling and legal services. Shoes, clothes, and baby supplies are provided and healthcare services are on site. Refugees can also take classes to learn to read, write and speak in English.
“It was like learning a different language,” said Frank Estremera, the Executive Chef at the NCC.
Estremera went the extra mile with this team to learn how to prepare Afghan-inspired meals.
“My main goal was and is to make the Afghan guests feel loved. And welcomed with food,” said Estremera, who said he moved to the U.S. as a teenager.
Many are happy and relieved to be here. 7News spoke with a refugee who fled the Taliban.
“The situation was so dangerous,” said Sahar. “The rash of people. The Taliban they were shooting directly even some of [the] people died in front of my eyes.”
Sahar said she witnessed the Taliban shooting and killing pregnant women and babies.
The job she held in Afghanistan put her life in jeopardy. Her family still lives in Afghanistan.
“Right now, in Afghanistan, most of the women especially my sister—when she called me she’s like crying and she said you’re lucky. At least because we are not allowed to go to school. The Taliban is not allowing us to go and do some jobs because they’re saying that women and girls are born to stay at home,” Sahar told 7News. “I am so thankful to the government of the United States for helping save my life.”
Sahar hopes her parents and sister can join her in the United States.
While 7News visited the NCC, we found artwork hanging on the walls of one of the reading rooms where Afghan children spend their time. The artwork was created by students at Loudoun County Public Schools.
The artwork said things like, “welcome to the USA”, “we are so happy you’re here,” “and we wish you a good happy life in the USA.”
