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What Is the Process For Afghan Refugees Coming To Delaware Valley And Who Will Be Helping?

BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- The Delaware Valley is prepared to welcome some of the Afghan refugees who are being evacuated and CBS3 has an update on how the process works and who will be helping. CBS3 asked everyone, including the White House, exactly how many Afghan refugees we can expect in the Delaware Valley.

But, officials would not be specific. They did say one of our local military bases ad local resettlement partners here are already at work.

The evacuation of thousands of Afghans to the United States continued Tuesday.

At last check, officials said the U.S. has relocated nearly 64,000 Afghans from Kabul since July.

 

The military has set up processing for some refugees at four bases, in Wisconsin, Texas, Virginia and at New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County.

CBS3 is told sites at these bases could potentially house 25,000 people in total across all of the bases, but that number could change.

For the refugees flying into Fort Dix, the Department of Human Services connects them to refugee resettlement organizations like HIAS or Nationalities Service Center, that work to get them settled here in Philadelphia.

"We communicate with landlords, get them settled in," Antonia Moffa, with the Nationalities Service Center, said. "We provide household goods, furniture, food, hygiene products, anything they'll need to get set up then we provide job readiness training, English classes."

Officials tell CBS3 that evacuees who are American citizens, or green card holders, are not required to stop at military bases and some of them are already on their way to destinations including Philadelphia.

The Nationalities Service Center says one family arrived in our area on Monday and they expect others in the days to come.

Locals can also volunteer their time. Click here to find out how.

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