Fort McCoy Houses Around 3,000 Afghan Refugees As Evacuation Ends

WISCONSIN — Lawmakers said Friday that Fort McCoy, the U.S. Army base near Tomah, would house around 3,000 refugees who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban gained control of the country.

The base is host to 2,383 refugees, with a capacity for 10,000 people, U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck told WEAU Friday.

Visiting Wisconsin lawmakers said that the number could be 3,000 before the weekend, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The last U.S. planes took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul at 3:29 p.m. EDT Monday, U.S. Central Command head Gen. Frank McKenzie told The Associated Press.

The U.S. is hosting about 8,000 Afghan special immigrant visa applicants between Fort McCoy, Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said at a news briefing.

The U.S. has airlifted 122,000 people out of Afghanistan, Taylor said. Among the evacuees are 5,400 Americans.

Over a dozen nongovernment and government organizations are assisting refugees in Wisconsin, Fort McCoy said in a statement.

The following are some organizations working in Fort McCoy that are accepting donations.

• Team Rubicon.
• American Red Cross.
• International Rescue Committee.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse.