FORT MCCOY (WTAQ) — A Republican congressional delegation visited Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy on Friday to observe the efforts with processing and housing over a thousand Afghan refugees housed there.
The delegation was led by Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Marine Corps veteran.
“We were very glad to have a candid exchange and discussion and be able to ask questions about vetting procedures and logistical procedures here,” said Gallagher.
The visit comes a day after 13 American servicemen were killed in a series of suicide attacks at the gates of Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul.
Gallagher is a Marine Corps veteran.
“As a Marine my heart breaks for the 12 Marines and the Navy Corpsmen who were killed yesterday in Afghanistan,” he said.
Gallagher added he saw troops at Fort McCoy playing with Afghan children, and that refugees are being acclimated to the United States.
Congressman Glenn Grothman was also on hand and says troops at Fort McCoy are doing a great job.
“Their goal is to, for lack of a better word, Americanize–or familiarize, the immigrants about what their new country is like,” said Grothman.
The congressmen said they learned that none of the refugees at Fort McCoy hold a special immigration visa, though many are in the application process. They were vetted before leaving Afghanistan.
The delegation touring the fort also included U.S. Representatives Bryan Steil, Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald.
