A Lewiston refugee resettlement agency is looking to hire an additional case manager to serve only Afghan refugee clients, according to a posting on the online job board Indeed.
The refugee resettlement agency, Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS), is one of three agencies in Maine that are approved to resettle refugees in the state, alongside Catholic Charities Maine and the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine.
In early October, the three resettlement agencies announced that they had been approved to resettle double the amount of refugees in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) as they did in FY23.
[RELATED: Maine Resettlement Agencies Set to Double Number of Refugees Taken in for FY24…]
In FY 23, 419 refugees were resettled in the state — in FY 24, that number is expected to increase to 840.
Rilwan Osman, executive director of Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services in Lewiston, said in October that his office has been approved to resettle 200 refugees in FY24, twice the 100 they resettled last year.
Osman told Maine Public last month that MEIRS was planning to begin resettling refugee families from Syria and Cambodia within weeks.
The MEIRS job posting describes the position as a case manager who will work exclusively with Afghan refugees to assist them with medical services, access to welfare benefits, and emergency case management.
Following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from Afghanistan by President Joe Biden in August 2021 — which resulted in the Taliban retaking control of the country — the United States has taken in nearly 90,000 Afghan refugees, according to the State Department.
Refugees are a separate immigrant population from asylum seekers, as refugees are brought to the United States under the federal Refugee Admissions Program and must undergo screening before entering the country.
This screening is meant to determine whether an individual has experienced past persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Unlike asylum seekers, refugees are allowed to work immediately upon arrival in the U.S., and can usually apply for citizenship within five years of their arrival.
President Biden has set the goal of 125,000 refugees to be resettled in the U.S. for FY24 — a 30-year high.
MEIRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on their job posting or questions regarding how many Afghan refugees they plan to resettle in FY24.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="23398 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=23398">9 Comments
“The position will only serve Afghan clients.” Quite the fool proof vetting process, don’t ya think?
Jobs, what jobs?
A place to live? Sure, with so many Americans dying of drug overdose, plenty of homes and apartments.
The future is looking bright, just bought new shades.
…even more justification to carry a firearm. Lived in Maine not quite all my life yet and have had to come to grips (pun intended) with the current day and age, where the serene and peaceful nature of ones home state is being destroyed by inept libtards! Thanks to Senator King, Collins and Jackboot Janet! Ammo up!
Take care of our own people before bringing anyone else into Maine. Mills needs to LEAVE
The United States is NOT the first safe country that these so called asylum seekers enter. They travel thousands of miles across an ocean and then through seven or eight countries before reaching our border. They are coming here for one reason and one reason only – MONEY and every freebie that Biden and the democrats are giving them. There is no vetting of these people and they are bringing nothing to the United States except diseases that have already been eradicated here.
Maine is not able to take care of its elderly and veterans but we are expected to pay for these illegals…..No more!
More unvetted immigrants. Awesome. (Saec)
This will help move us from the 3rd highest taxed state to #1.
Refugees?
Send to say….Camden.
Maine already has a housing and career job shortage.
That mills woman must hate Mainers.
Maine needs long term employment and housing for the people that already live here.
Importing so called refugees and asylum seekers from so many countries is going to cause tribal warfare right here in Maine between groups that thought they were escaping each other.
This is the total destruction of Maine . This is just going to be devastating and Mills is to blame ! I am so sick of our government who is putting Americans last and forcing us to pay for people who only want to take from us NOT BECOME AMERICANS!