WC Wisconsin News

Thousands of refugees from Afghanistan are currently at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, but members of the state's federal delegation still have questions about how they're being screened prior to their arrival.

Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI) said during a press conference as of Aug. 27 there were 2,000 individuals already at Fort McCoy with the number expected to climb up as high as 3,000 by the end of the day.

"I think we saw what makes our country so great. We saw our troops here providing comfort and aid to individuals who escaped from Afghanistan," Steil said in a video of the press conference he shared in an Aug. 28 tweet. "I still have some very significant questions that I'll be following up with the Biden administration on regarding the vetting process of individuals who've exited Kabul, come through the Lily Pad, vetted through Dulles, and ultimately arriving here at Camp McCoy." 

Multiple representatives and lawmakers accompanied U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) to Fort McCoy a few days earlier on Aug. 25 to discuss and see the situation of the refugees from Afghanistan being housed there, which at the time was around 1,000, according to Fox 11 News.

Fox 11 News reported that the refugees were receiving two meals a day, soon to be three, received medical care, were being screened for COVID-19, and had the option to receive the vaccine. 

Both Johnson and Steil talked about the difficult aspects of the current situation surrounding Afghanistan for both military and civilian personnel.