COLUMBUS — Governor Mike DeWine says nearly 900 Afghan refugees will be arriving in Ohio and placed within eight local resettlement agencies as part of the first group of nearly 37,000 arrivals across the country.
The evacuees will be arriving through the U.S. Department of State’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program to agencies mainly in northeast and central Ohio.
“These are individuals who have been partners with United States and deserve our support in return for the support they’ve given us,” DeWine said.
Approximately 345 of the refugees will be settled over the next six months in Columbus, DeWine said.
The Biden administration had begun notifying governors and state refugee coordinators of their arrivals on Wednesday.
Officials say the State Department resettled evacuees based on the advice of local affiliates of nine national resettlement agencies the U.S. government is working with.
DeWine says the refugees are authorized to work but only children under the age of 18 who are granted humanitarian parolee status are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps. Children under 21 and pregnant women are eligible for Medicaid.