Wisconsin Will Resettle Displaced Afghans, Gov. Evers Says

MADISON, WI — Wisconsin's governor said Tuesday that the state will work with the federal government to resettle Afghan refugees coming to Fort McCoy.

"Wisconsin is ready to assist these efforts and help these individuals who served our country and are now seeking refuge," Evers said in a statement.

The governor also offered his thoughts to Wisconsin veterans who served in Afghanistan. "We are thinking of them and are reminded today and in the days ahead to offer each other support, patience, and kindness and treat one another with empathy, respect, and compassion," Evers said.

Fort McCoy was told it will receive special immigrant visa applicants. Local organizations are also preparing to help resettle refugees coming in from Afghanistan, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The Department of Defense will have three facilities to support 22,000 people in three to four weeks, department press secretary John Kirby said at a news briefing.

Many Afghans are evacuating the country amid the Taliban takeover of the Afghanistan government. Some have fled in fear of retaliation for helping the U.S. as interpreters or other jobs or out of ffear of the Taliban reinstating a harsh interpretation of Islamic law that they used before 2001.

See Also: Fort McCoy In WI May Take In Afghan Refugees: Report