![]() ![]() This consists of medical screenings, including testing for COVID-19, receiving vaccinations, applying for immigration status and more as coordinated by the State Department.įrances Anderson, who is state refugee health coordinator with the Tennessee Office for Refugees, deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, to assist the State Department in recent processing efforts. Once the Afghans arrive in the U.S., they are further processed at one of eight military bases. Throughout the process, the Afghans are vetted and screened by DHS, which includes “biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals,” before they come to the United States, according to the department. This operation led to implementation of the Afghan Placement Assistance Program, or APA. Department of Homeland Security implemented Operation Allies Welcome “to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettle in the United States,” according to the official Department of Homeland Security website. “I looked at how many refugees we were projected to get over the next year, how many refugees we’ve served in the past and 150 was where we landed as a number that we felt comfortable accepting over the next six months, that we could garner enough support for, and that we could manage when it came to providing services,” she told the Tennessee Register, Nashville’s diocesan newspaper.Īt the beginning of September, the U.S. “To get everybody’s thoughts about what might be possible,” she reached out to several entities, she said, including the Nashville mayor’s office, metro-area schools, health officials, the Tennessee Office for Refugees, the Nashville International Center for Empowerment and other local organizations that serve refugees. We were asked how many we could accommodate,” Branson said. “We had a really quick turnaround to think about it. Kellye Branson, director of Refugee and Immigration Services, is heading the effort on behalf of Catholic Charities. “Catholic Charities works in collaboration with federal partners to make the resettlement process manageable and not overwhelming for local communities,” he added. “We serve people because we can address their needs, and addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees has been part of the mission of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Nashville since its founding in the early 1960s,” said Rick Musacchio, diocesan director of communications. ![]() State Department’s Afghan Placement Assistance Program. (CNS) - Over the course of the next six months, Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Nashville will help resettle 150 Afghans into local communities as part of the effort to help them escape Taliban rule under the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |