NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York will welcome refugees from Afghanistan — and the state is looking for New Yorkers who would like to help them when they arrive, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.
The state's Refugee Services will help resettle and provide aid to an unspecified number of Afghan refugees, Hochul said in a press release Wednesday afternoon.
The program had already anticipated resettling 1,320 refugees and special immigrant visa holders during this financial year, so it is "prepared for additional arrivals," the release said.
New Yorkers who would like to support the refugees after they arrive can call the Office for New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 for more information, the release added. Immigrants who need help accessing services can also call the hotline, it noted.
"As the world watches the instability in Afghanistan unfold, New York is stepping up to once again serve as a beacon of hope and refuge," Hochul said in a statement.
"The richness of culture and community that refugees and immigrants bring to our state is beyond measure, and the message to the world in no uncertain terms is that our state is committed to helping those who seek shelter on our shores," she added.
