Biden administration will allow Afghan children to stay with the adult they arrived with in the US - after State Department warned men are bringing in underage brides

 President Joe Biden's administration will allow Afghan children to stay with the adult they arrived with in the United States - to avoid unaccompanied minors going into custody.  

CNN reported Wednesday that the Department of Health and Human Services put out guidance over the weekend that laid out ways to avoid Afghan childen being separated from caregivers. 

The report comes after the Associated Press reported last week that a number of Afghan men entered the U.S. with underage 'brides,' with officials seeking guidance on how to handle this dynamic.  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with an Afghan refugee family at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday. The Biden administration will let evacuated children stay with the adults they arrived in the US with

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with an Afghan refugee family at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday. The Biden administration will let evacuated children stay with the adults they arrived in the US with 

'Intake staff at Fort McCoy reported multiple cases of minor females who presented as "married" to adult Afghan men, as well as polygamous families,' a document obtained by the AP warned. 'Department of State has requested urgent guidance.' 

The AP reported that there was no immediate indication from the military, the Department of Homeland Security or HHS that such guidance was received.   

Typically, minors who don't arrive with their parents - even if they come to the U.S. with an aunt, uncle or sibling - are put into HHS custody until a 'sponsor' is deemed worthy. 

In the case of Afghan refugees, the Office of Refugee Resettlement - which is part of HHS - is allowing the children to stay with the adults they arrived with, even if they're not the kids' parents, CNN said. 


Afghan refugees sit on the floor and stand around as they wait for processing inside Hangar 5 at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday

Afghan refugees sit on the floor and stand around as they wait for processing inside Hangar 5 at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday

HHS did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiry on how they're handling the issue of the child 'brides.'    

Last week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said 'very few Afghan children' are arriving with adults who they don't know.   

More than 100 have arrived in the U.S. unaccompanied, an administration official told CNN, though a majority have been quickly reunited with family members. 

'Unaccompanied minors represent only one quarter of one per cent of the share of Afghan arrivals,' an HHS spokesperson told CNN. 'We will continue to work with our government partners to provide care for all the children referred to us.'  

Antony Blinken met with Afghan refugees at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday as the administration continues to deal with the bungled troop withdrawal that is now leading to the displacement of thousands of Afghans.

The Secretary of State showed a picture of his children to a young Afghan refugee outside Hangar 5 for evacuation operations at Ramstein Air Base.

The State Department is facing criticism after it was revealed in an email link that the agency prevented several private flights from leaving Afghanistan with U.S. citizens and Afghan allies on board.

The trip to Germany came after Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with leaders in Doha, Qatar, which is acting as another third-party country for Afghan refugee processing before they are resettled in the U.S.

Blinken was also pictured there touring a base in Doha being used as a processing center with hundreds of cots lining the floor of a building.

Also on Wednesday, Blinken met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas as the two counterparts discussed cooperation in efforts to process and resettle Afghan refugees. The two will hold a virtual 20-nation meeting on the crisis from the southwestern German U.S. Air Base.

The images out of Ramstein on Wednesday show a number of refugees sitting on the floor as they wait to be processed. Many are unaware of their final resettlement destinations, but are expected to come through the Philadelphia and Washington Dulles airports.

Blinken said on Tuesday that Afghan refugees will be vetted on the 'back end,' as he claims the withdrawal was too swift and chaotic to vet all Afghan refugees before they were airlifted out.

The administration still insists there are around 100 Americans left to be evacuated, while volunteer groups leading private evacuation efforts and Republicans claim there are more like 500 U.S. citizens still trying to get out.

Six planes chartered to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan were blocked from leaving by the Taliban, it emerged over the weekend.

Afghan refugees are captured arriving at Washington Dulls International Airport last week. New Health and Human Services guidance is instructing officials to keep Afghan children with the adults they entered the U.S. with

Afghan refugees are captured arriving at Washington Dulls International Airport last week. New Health and Human Services guidance is instructing officials to keep Afghan children with the adults they entered the U.S. with 

The State Department also refused to green light privately chartered flights out of Afghanistan that could have evacuated US citizens and Afghan special immigrant visa applicants, leaked emails reportedly show.

Military lawyer and retired Marine Eric Montalvo shared the communications with Fox after he organized some of the flights and now claims the federal government thwarted his rescue effort.

The leaked emails show State officials refusing to allow Montalvo's privately paid for flights to use US property either inside the country or at one of its many overseas bases, after the Biden administration pledged to do whatever it can to rescue all Americans and as many Afghan allies as possible.

'No independent charters are allowed' at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,' an email from September 1 says.

'In fact, no charters are allowed to land at an [sic] DoD base and most if not all countries in the Middle Eastern region, with the exception of perhaps Saudi Arabia will allow charters to land.'

Blinken tours the refugee processing center at Al Udeid Air Base on Tuesday where thousands of evacuees are vetted before their flights to the United States

Blinken tours the refugee processing center at Al Udeid Air Base on Tuesday where thousands of evacuees are vetted before their flights to the United States 

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