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It’s been a little over a month since refugees fleeing Afghanistan started arriving at Fort McCoy, one of eight United States military bases tasks with housing the more than 50,000 Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. 

Fort McCoy, located 40 miles east of La Crosse, Wis., has the space to house 13,000 people. Right now, 12,500 Afghan refugees are living on the base while they wait to find out what will happen to them after their country’s government fell to Taliban forces in August.

According to Emily Hamer, a county government and criminal justice reporter with the 

, a few lawmakers including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers have been given access to Fort McCoy and its facilities. These tours came after corroborated reports from refugees who spoke to the Wisconsin State Journal about conditions on the base.  

“They have had to wait for several hours in line for food, sometimes up to six hours,” Hamer said. “And then when they get to the end of the line, sometimes there would be no food left.”

There is also a concern about access to supplies, like clean clothes. One of the refugees she spoke to said she was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she left the Kabul airport, including the same set of underwear. 

“She thinks that led to her getting an infection,” Hamer told Wurzer Tuesday on Morning Edition. 

Media has not been given access to Fort McCoy yet, and Hamer said she does not know of a timeline to give reporters access to the base. The Wisconsin State Journal reported volunteers working in and around the base have been discouraged from talking to reporters, making it difficult for media outlets to verify reports. The refugees who have spoken to the Wisconsin State Journal have asked for anonymity over fears of a negative reaction from those in leadership roles at Fort McCoy.

Last week, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar joined Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) in asking Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III to investigate claims of mistreatment that were brought to their offices. 

While no definitive timeline has been given for the refugees and their time at Fort McCoy, Hamer said one woman was told it could take anywhere from two to six months to get her resettled outside the base. The Department of Homeland Security said the resettlement process will be different for every person but did not give any more insight into what the refugees might expect moving forward. 

'I just want to leave': Afghan refugees speak out about conditions at Fort McCoy

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It’s been a little over a month since refugees fleeing Afghanistan started arriving at Fort McCoy, one of eight United States military bases tasks with housing the more than 50,000 Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. 


Wisconsin State Journal reporter Emily Hamer joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to recap the reporting her and her colleagues have done regarding the calls for an investigation into Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. 

Reports out of Fort McCoy initiate calls from lawmakers into investigation into treatment of Afghan refugees

A man hands a bag of supplies to another person.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Eric Cerami, 55th Signal Company

A woman labels a bag surrounded by donations.

Supplies are displayed in a large building

One month after arrival at Fort McCoy: Afghan refugees and concerning reports out of Wisconsin

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