Afghan refugees' Milwaukee relocation underway
MILWAUKEE - Work is underway to help thousands of Afghan refugees from Fort McCoy permanently relocate to Milwaukee.
Inside a warehouse along Milwaukee's lakefront, the exact location of which is being kept private for security purposes, donations have been stored since last summer. For the last month and a half, volunteers with the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon have been sorting through boxes upon boxes inside.
"It can be quite daunting," said Team Rubicon Incident Commander Chase Adams. "From the start of Phase 1 until now, we have handled over a million items."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Adams oversees the project, part of the massive overall effort to help refugees resettle in Wisconsin. The items were collected by community groups or donated by businesses – including clothes, shoes and pallets of diapers.
"Many people came here with absolutely nothing," Adams said of the refugees.
Items stored in Milwaukee warehouse for Afghan refugees
In August 2021, Afghans packed the military airport in Kabul, Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdrew from the country and the Taliban took over. More than 8,000 refugees were relocated to Fort McCoy in western Wisconsin for temporary housing. Some of them remain there to this day.
Phase 2 begins now with as many as 6,000 refugees making Wisconsin their permanent home. Once organized and sorted, there is hope that tables and sofas can provide the foundation needed for a fresh start.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
"Our goal is to be here to make the greatest impact possible and help as many people as possible in the most ways we possibly can," said Adams.
Team Rubicon is still in need of donations, and has set up an Amazon wish list.
Featured
Street Angels bus fire: Gas can found nearby, suspects sought
An organization that helps Milwaukee's homeless community has been targeted by arsonists. Investigators say someone set the Street Angels Homeless Outreach bus on fire.
Featured
Selling Lemonade for Children's Wisconsin; students raise money
LUMIN Schools in Milwaukee and Racine are selling lemonade to raise money for Children's Wisconsin.
Featured
Ballot drop box ruling: Wisconsin Justice Department appeals
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is appealing a judge's ruling restricting the use of absentee ballot drop boxes.