At their meeting Monday night, the Joplin City Council was provided an update from a local non-profit concerning the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Springfield and Joplin. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

Mike Newman, the Executive Director of RAISE, which stands for Refugee and Immigrant Services and Education based in Noel, Missouri was on-hand Monday with an update of how the non-profit is assisting Afghans to settle into their new lives in Southwest Missouri. The 501 (c) (3) assists with educational opportunities, legal help, and transportation. According to Newman, resettled Afghan families have spent two months on US military bases.

But for one family their new life starts today in Carl Junction. “The Joplin metro area is likely to receive an Afghan this month. And in fact, we will have a family arriving Wednesday, we have a home for them in Carl Junction for the first family.” Newman says every Afghan that is resettled goes through eight federal databases, six security databases, five separate background checks, four biometric checks, three interviews, and two interagency security checks to secure entry into the US. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro