ECDC
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The latest count from the Ethiopian Community Development Council is that more than 100 refugees will be resettled in Wausau by the middle of this year, according to information presented to the Marathon County Diversity Affairs Commission on Wednesday.
Local ECDC Coordinator Adam VanNoord says that’s because Wausau is getting a higher than expected number of single cases, where just one person is being resettled while their family may be staying behind. “We do have five cases with just one single male. All but one so far has been married, they have spouses and children but they were not able to depart together as a family.”
The latest estimates show 107 refugees will be in Wausau by the end of the resettlement process. Half of those are expected to be brought in over the next few weeks, which VanNoord is calling their “peak volume” season.
“We are expecting to receive 50 or so in the next 2-3 weeks,” he said; adding that they don’t expect to be getting refugees at that pace during normal times. “This is very abnormal, especially given the size of our agency and the fact that we are new to this. But, there is a lot of pressure from Military Bases and federal partners to get Afghans into communities and safely settled.”
VanNoord says they are expecting the total to be split 60/40 between men and women. One-third of the adult males that have arrived do speak English, which he says is about what they were expecting especially given that the majority worked with the US Government in some capacity during their time in Afghanistan. He went on to assure the Commission that all of the individuals coming into Wausau are being vetted, and many worked alongside Americans during the war. “That includes intensive questionnaires, biometrics, recording, healthcare screening, and immunizations,” he said.
None of the refugees are guaranteed United States citizenship. They are here for up to two years on what’s called parolee status. During the next few weeks, it’s up to them to either apply for asylum or a special immigrant visa. The latter of which is open to those who worked with US troops, held positions in the US Embassy, or worked with NATO. It’s also possible they could apply for citizenship through the refugee admissions program.
VanNoord adds that many have either started looking for work or are in the process of making sure they have the right documents to be legally hired by local employers. At least two of the refugees have expressed interest in starting their own businesses in Wausau, possibly a Middle-Eastern restaurant.
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