Republicans divided on Afghans being let in

US governors, both Democrats and Republicans, have offered temporarily to house or help resettle Afghans arriving in the United States, but some Republicans are questioning why any, even those who worked with the US military, should be brought to the US and have warned that terrorists may be among the evacuees.

Other Republicans have supported the evacuation of Afghans and have criticized their fellow Republicans for opposing any resettlement of Afghans in the US. US officials have defended their vetting of evacuees as "robust" and extensive.

Stephen Miller, a staunch proponent of strict immigration limits and the architect of several of the Trump administration's strongest anti-immigration policies, has said the division among Republicans would ultimately coalesce around opposition to letting Afghans resettle in large numbers across the country.

"There's an enormous amount of agreement among conservatives that there is no desire among the American public at all for a large-scale resettlement of generalized refugees," The New York Times quoted him as saying.

A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted from Aug 18 to 20 found that 76 percent of Republicans and 79 percent of independents supported efforts to bring Afghans to the US who had helped the US.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have flown into Dulles International Airport in Washington since being evacuated from the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Aug 14, and more are expected before President Joe Biden's deadline on Tuesday for the US to leave the country.

Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, said of the evacuation of Afghans: "We'll have terrorists coming across the border."

The Afghan evacuees arriving in the US will be given temporary housing at military bases in Virginia, Texas, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a House Republican of Georgia who has introduced legislation banning all immigration during Biden's presidency, criticized her state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, for saying he was open to the state accepting refugees.

"Will this bring chain migration too?" she said, referring to family-based immigration. "How much will it cost Georgia taxpayers in government assistance?"

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticized fellow Republicans for what he said was invoking "terrorist" rhetoric.

"When you talk to the people that we've spoken with, when you look at their service record… how dare anyone question whether or not they deserve to come to this country or to a safe third country?"

Among the US governors who have said they would be willing to take in Afghan evacuees is Spencer Cox of Utah, a Republican.

"We are eager to continue that practice and assist with the resettlement of individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan, especially those who valiantly helped US troops, diplomats, journalists and other civilians over the past 20 years," he said.