Governor Kathy Hochul will be welcoming Afghan refugees into the state of New York as a safe haven to allow them to resettle.
The commitment is for 1,320 refugees and immigrants with special visas, but officials are planning to welcome more.
Hochul named Buffalo, Utica, Rochester, and Syracuse as homes for refugees.
One family is planning to be reunited in Albany after children repeatedly tried boarding a plane in Afghanistan.
Up to 80% of Afghans are being taken in as humanitarian parolees, not refugees.
This makes it harder for them to have access to public benefits, health services or a path to citizenship.
Karen Andolina Scott, executive director of Journey’s End Refugee Services, said more needs to be done in order to not leave them behind once they’ve crossed the border.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].