Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says nearly 900 Afghan refugees will be arriving in Ohio and placed within eight local resettlement agencies as part of the first group of nearly 37,000 arrivals across the country.
The evacuees will be arriving through the U.S. Department of State’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program to agencies mainly in northeast and central Ohio.
Columbus is slated to help resettle 345 people. The Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) will receive 250 refugees and US Together will receive 95 refugees.
The eight resettlement agencies that will help Afghan refugees include:
- International Institute of Akron will receive 150 refugees
- Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio
- Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio in Cincinnati will receive 50 refugees
- US Together in Cleveland will receive 85 refugees
- Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services in Cleveland will receive 100 refugees
- U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Cleveland will receive 100 refugees
- Community Refugee and Immigration Services in Columbus will receive 250 refugees
- US Together in Columbus will receive 85 refugees
- US Together in Toledo will receive 25 refugees
The Biden administration had begun notifying governors and state refugee coordinators of their arrivals on Wednesday.
Officials say the State Department resettled evacuees based on the advice of local affiliates of nine national resettlement agencies the U.S. government is working with.
