More than 8,700 Afghan Refugees Being Treated At Fort McCoy

WISCONSIN — A day after Gov. Tony Evers encouraged Wisconsin residents to help support refugees from Afghanistan that are being housed temporarily at Fort McCoy, the military base announced that as many as 13,000 refugees likely will end up there and that more than 8,700 have already arrived.

Fort McCoy is one of three U.S. military installations where refugees are arriving to after arriving overseas and after the fled their home country and the Taliban after U.S. troops withdrew from the region after nearly 20 years. The base, which is located about 40 miles east of La Crosse, has seen the number of refugees triple in the past week alone, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

Nearly 1,400 soldiers at Fort McCoy are supporting the refugees, many of whom require medical care. A senior Army official told several media outlets in a telephone conference call Friday that civilian health care workers and representatives from the American Red Cross are also on hand to care for those who have arrived. Some refugees will require hospital care, the Associated Press reported.

The refugees are being housed in two-story buildings with about 30 people per floor, The La Crosse Tribune reported on Friday. A state department official said that while a definite timeline has not been established for how long the refugees will remain at Fort McCoy, they are expected to be at the installation for a "matter of weeks". He said that areas outdoors have been set up for children to play and for others to take walks.

Fort McCoy is able to house about 13,000 refugees, but in a news release on Thursday, Evers said Wisconsin residents can also lend a hand in a number of ways.

“Wisconsinites have a proud tradition of rolling up our sleeves to help our neighbors when times are tough, and since learning folks leaving Afghanistan would be coming through Wisconsin, Wisconsinites have been asking what they can do to help,” Evers said Thursday. “I want to thank the organizations and partners who are stepping up to offer their support and for helping to ensure Wisconsinites know how they can best help and donate to these efforts as they’re able.”

The governor said in addition to needing medical care, many of the Afghan refugees arrived at the site without luggage or personal items. State officials are working with several organizations, including Catholic Charities of La Crosse to provide necessities to these people as they begin the process of resettling in the United States.

To ensure health and safety of individuals and families at Fort McCoy, groups prefer new items, which can also help ensure expedited processing, the news release from Evers’ office said. Clean, new clothing and footwear are among items that are of the highest priority and need at this time.

Catholic Charities of La Crosse has already been actively working to collect donations of new items and has set up multiple ways for people to provide supplies by simply shopping online. Local residents can find a full list of the items needed, along with links to online shopping lists through major retailers, here. Catholic Charities is also committed to using monetary donations for items in need at Fort McCoy and refugee resettlement in the Wisconsin communities, the release said.

While donation locations are currently limited, the state plans to open more locations across the state in the coming weeks. Wisconsin residents who are not near a location can still support local relief efforts by making a monetary donation directly to Catholic Charities of La Crosse at https://cclse.org/. Additionally, people can support efforts across the nation by donating to the American Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/.