Ohio to Receive 855 Afghan Refugees through Federal Program

By The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Nearly 900 Afghan refugees will be arriving in Ohio and placed within eight local resettlement agencies as part of the first group of nearly 37,000 arrivals across the country, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday.

“These are individuals who have been partners with United States and deserve our support in return for the support they’ve given us,” DeWine said in a statement.

The evacuees will be arriving through the U.S. Department of State’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program to agencies mainly in northeast and central Ohio.

The Biden administration had begun notifying governors and state refugee coordinators of their arrivals on Wednesday. Officials said the State Department resettled evacuees based on the advice of local affiliates of nine national resettlement agencies the U.S. government is working with.

Through the process, Afghan evacuees are advised by officials that certain parts of the country — including areas with plentiful job openings and cheaper housing — could be good places to begin their new lives in the U.S.

The Afghan evacuees go through a Department of Homeland Security-coordinated process of security vetting and health screening before being admitted.

The Biden administration has requested funding from Congress to help resettle 65,000 Afghans in the U.S. by the end of this month and 95,000 by September 2022.

Pictured: A man walks with a child through Fort Bliss’ Doña Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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