Congresswoman Escobar visits Afghan refugees at Fort Bliss

FORT BLISS, Texas -- El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar visited with Afghanistan evacuees at the Fort Bliss Army post during a tour of the refugee housing area on Wednesday evening.

She said she talked with some Afghans who told her they had "lost everything" as they fled their homeland, but were grateful to be in America.

Escobar’s visit to the installation came alongside senior military leaders of what's been dubbed "Operation Allies Refuge."

"Every single service member told me how proud they were to be a part of this mission," she told the media at a news conference at the conclusion of her visit. "I told service members they are taking part in an important part of history."

Fort Bliss is one of multiple military facilities across the nation being used to house Afghanistan refugees.

Escobar called it "pretty extraordinary" that the U.S. military had flown out 90,000 American citizens and Afghan evacuees from the Kabul airport over the last week and a half.