Last Afghan families leave Fort McCoy
The last Afghan nationals housed at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin depart on Feb. 15, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert P Wormley III, Task Force McCoy Public Affairs/50th Public Affairs Detachment)
The last Afghan nationals who were housed at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy have left.
Fort McCoy released some pictures of the sendoff held Monday, however the last families actually left last Tuesday.
RELATED: Wisconsin senator, veterans highlight Fort McCoy efforts as Afghanistan refugees arrive
The fort was one of eight U.S.-based Department of Defense sites used to temporarily house Afghan refugees and host over 12,000 Afghan refugees following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In total, more than 74,400 Afghan refugees have resettled across the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says.
“I would like to thank the federal staff, servicemembers, volunteers, and members of the local community whose dedication was critical to the success of our mission at Fort McCoy,” Robert J. Fenton, Jr., a senior response official for Operation Allies Welcome, said in a statement. “With the help of our partners across government and non-profit organizations, the 12,600 Afghan evacuees who were temporarily housed at Fort McCoy have now joined their new communities, and we have completed operations at seven of the eight safe haven locations.”
The DOD is still housing around 1,200 vulnerable Afghans in New Jersey as they complete their resettlement process.
RELATED: More than 8,000 Afghan refugees at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy