“We will welcome these Afghans who have helped us in the war effort over the last 20 years to their new home in the United States of America,” Mr. Biden said Sunday afternoon in remarks from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. “Because that’s who we are. That’s what America is.”

Mr. Biden said that the military has evacuated “an extraordinary number of people” from the chaotic capital of Afghanistan in the week since the Taliban seized control of the country. But he said military officials will be looking at whether to stay in the country beyond Aug. 31 to complete evacuations.

“Our hope is we will not have to extend, but there are going to be discussions, I suspect, on how far along we are in the process,” the president said.