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August 26, 2021OKLAHOMA CITY – Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and federal agencies, is providing assistance to help Afghan evacuees finish their processing in Fort Lee, Va., before they travel to their final destination. As the Afghan situation continues to evolve, the mission is ever-changing.
Catholic Charities has been involved with resettling refugees in Oklahoma for nearly 50 years. More recently, they have worked with the USCCB as a reception and placement agency in the metro area. Traditionally, CCAOKC’s work begins when refugees arrive at Will Rogers World Airport after being thoroughly vetted through U.S. government agencies and approved for resettlement in the Oklahoma City area.
CCAOKC’s service to refugees includes connecting them to housing, medical screening, registering children for school and employment. In recent years, arrivals have been primarily from Burma and Vietnam.
“The people most suffering are not the people involved in politics or religion. The people who are suffering are innocent women and children,” said Maleeha Siddique, a Catholic Charities’ case manager who came to the United States 20 years ago as a refugee from Afghanistan.
Executive Director Patrick Raglow said, “Due to our long history of successfully welcoming refugees into Oklahoma City, we were asked to assist the U.S. bishops and U.S. government to process recent arrivals from Afghanistan in Fort Lee.”
Raglow said three Catholic Charities’ employees have been approved to assist with the efforts and one already is in Fort Lee. Although the U.S. government has not yet indicated that any Afghan refugees will be relocated to Oklahoma, that could change and Catholic Charities is ready and willing to assist, Raglow added.
“Throughout Scripture, we are asked to serve the orphan, the immigrant and the widow, and Catholic Charities strives to do that,” Raglow said. “In this case, assisting those who put their lives in peril protecting the lives of Americans overseas is not only just, it literally is the least we can do and if we are called to assist, we are humbled and honored to serve.”
Photo: A U.S. Marine hands a girl bottled water during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. CNS photo/U.S. Marine Sgt. Samuel Ruiz, handout via Reuters.
