NOW REPORTEDLY AT OR NEAR ITS
CAPACITY FOR HOUSING
NEWLY-ARRIVED REFUGEES FROM
AFGHANISTAN.
AN ESTIMATED NEARLY 13,000
ADULTS AND CHILDREN FROM THAT
COUNTRY ARE TEMPORARILY RESIDING
AT THE UW ARMY INSTALLATION NEAR
TOMAH.
WHAT ARE THEIR LIVES LIKE AND
WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS AND HARD
HARDSHIPS?
WE CHECK IN WITH ERIN BARBATO AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LAW
SCHOOL.
SHE AND HER STUDENTS HOPE TO
SUPPORT THE LEGAL CLINIC AT FORT
MCCOY AND SHE HAS RECENTLY
VISITED THERE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHAT SERVICES ARE YOU AND
YOUR LAW STUDENTS HOPING TO
PROVIDE AT FORT MCCOY?
>> WELL, WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO
IS ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE
WELCOMED WITH DIGNITY, ENSURING
PEOPLE KNOW THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS
WHEN THEY ARE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
WHAT ARE THEIR PATHWAY TO
CITIZENSHIP?
SO WE'RE HOPING TO SUPPORT THAT
MOVEMENT AT FORT MCCOY IN THE
NEAR FUTURE.
>> WHAT SPECIFIC TYPE OF LEGAL
ASSISTANCE DO YOU EXPECT THEY
WILL NEED?
>> WELL, ALL OF THEM HAD AN
EVACUATE IN AN EMERGENT
SITUATION.
SOME WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR
LEGAL PROCESS.
FOR EXAMPLE, MANY OF THEM I MET
WITH HAD PENDING SPECIAL
IMMIGRANT VISAS, PEOPLE WHO
WORKED FOR THE EMBASSY OR FOR
THE U.S. ARMY AS INTERPRETERS.
BUT THEY HAD TO FLEE BEFORE
THEIR PAPERWORK WAS COMPLETE.
SO WE'RE HOPING TO LEARN WHAT
THE NEXT STEPS WILL BE FOR THEM
AND TO SUPPORT THEM THROUGH THAT
PROCESS.
>> SO HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE
EXPERIENCE OF BEING AMIDST THE
THOUSANDS OF NEWLY-ARRIVED
PEOPLE AIRLIFTED OUT OF
AFGHANISTAN?
>> IT WAS A SIGHT I HAD NEVER
ANTICIPATED SEEING, ESPECIALLY
IN WESTERN WISCONSIN.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL AREA OF
WISCONSIN WHERE THIS SPRAWLING
MILITARY BASE IS.
WE WERE DRIVE ARING TH DRIVING 5
MILES AN HOUR.
I SAW FAMILIES JUST WALKING THE
STREETS.
IT WAS SOMETHING I NEVER
ANTICIPATED SEEING BEFORE.
SO IT WAS PRETTY SURREAL.
>> IS THE TRAUMA OF THE PEOPLE
WHO WERE LITERALLY PLUCKED OUT
OF KABAL PALPABLE?
>> IT WAS.
WHEN I MET WITH THE FAMILIES,
WOMEN, CHILDREN, FATHERS, SINGLE
MEN, WE HEARD THEIR STORIES AND
THE EMERGENT SITUATION THAT THEY
HAD TO FLEE WAS CLEAR.
EVERYONE WAS QUITE GRATEFUL TO
BE WHERE THEY WERE, BUT THEY
WERE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR FAMILY
MEMBERS STILL IN AFGHANISTAN OR
MEMBERS WHO FLED TO OTHER
COUNTRIES.
IT'S COMMON IN THE IMMIGRATION
SYSTEM, BUT THESE FAMILIES WERE
TORN APART, OFTEN IN THE
SITUATION THAT THEY HAD NO
CONTROL OVER.
>> AND NOW THEY ARE HERE.
WHAT ARE CONDITIONS LIKE FOR
PEOPLE HOUSED AT FORT MCCOY?
WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU ABOUT
THEIR HARDSHIPS OR THEIR
BARRIERS THERE?
>> MOST OF WHAT I DISCUSSED WITH
PEOPLE WERE THEIR LEGAL OPTIONS.
DURING THOSE DISCUSSIONS
SOMETIMES THEY DID DISCUSS WHAT
THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT WAS FOR
THEM AT FORT MCCOY.
AND AS I SAID BEFORE, PEOPLE
SEEMED TO BE INCREDIBLY
GRACIOUS.
BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT THERE WERE
HARDSHIPS.
MANY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T
HAVE A CHANGE OF CLOTHES OR THAT
THEIR SHOES WERE NOT THE RIGHT
SIZE AS WELL AS WAITING IN LONG
LINES FOR FOOD.
AND NOBODY REALLY WANTED TO
COMPLAIN, BUT I COULD TELL THAT
THIS WAS NOT THE SITUATION WHERE
WE WERE WELCOMING SOMEONE WITH
DIGNITY AND I THINK WE COULD DO
A MUCH BETTER JOB.
>> YOU HAVE TOLD US THAT YOU
FELT AS THOUGH THE AUTHORITIES
OR THE PEOPLE AT FORT MCCOY WERE
TRYING HARD TO MAKE THINGS
BETTER.
IS THAT WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT
THAT?
>> I DO.
I MEAN, THE FIRST THING I SAW
WHEN I PULLED UP TO GET MY
SECURITY PASS TO ENTER THE BASE
WAS A MAN, A VETERAN ARRIVING IN
A HUGE TRUCK FULL OF DONATIONS.
AND WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE ACROSS
WISCONSIN COME TOGETHER TO
DONATE MONEY AND MATERIALS TO
ENSURE THAT PEOPLE DO HAVE WHAT
THEY NEED.
BUT I THINK BECAUSE OF THE
EMERGENT SITUATION AND PEOPLE
ARRIVING SO QUICKLY, WE JUST
DIDN'T HAVE EVERYTHING SET UP IN
A WAY THAT COULD GET THE
MATERIALS TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY
NEED T. BUT I COULD SEE PEOPLE
WORKING AS HARD AS POSSIBLE TO
BRING SUPPLIES TO THE PEOPLE WHO
SO DESPERATELY NEED THEM.
>> IN YOUR ESTIMATION, WHAT HELP
CAN THEY USE NOW AND GOING
FORWARD?
>> I THINK BECAUSE THERE'S
13,000 PEOPLE, AN ESTIMATED
13,000 PEOPLE THERE, THERE'S A
NEED FOR NEW CLOTHING AND
MATERIALS AND ALSO JUST MONETARY
DONATIONS SO THAT ORGANIZATIONS
THAT ARE SUPPORTING THE WORK ON
THE GROUND THERE CAN USE THAT
MONEY AS CONDITIONS CHANGE AND
AS NEEDS ARISE.
>> NOW, IT'S REPORTED THAT OF
THE THOUSANDS OF NEW ARRIVALS,
ABOUT 400 ARE LIKELY TO RESETTLE
IN WISCONSIN?
WILL YOUR PROJECT CONTINUE TO
HELP SERVE THOSE PEOPLE?
>> YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A NEED,
I HOPE WE CAN, BUT OFTENTIMES IF
THEY WERE SETTLED THROUGH THE
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AGENCY THEY
CAN GET LEGAL ACCESS TO
ATTORNEYS THAT WAY.
SO WE'RE STUDYING THIS PROCESS
AND MY STUDENTS ARE VERY EAGER
TO HELP IN ANY WAY WE CAN.
BUT I'M ALSO HOPING THAT THE
RESETTLEMENT AGENCY IN WISCONSIN
WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SERVE
THEM AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ERIN BARBATO, THANK YOU.