Inslee is ready to accommodate refugees

OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee wrote President Joe Biden about Washington State's willingness to help refugees from Afghanistan.

"Anticipating the arrival of new refugees, Washington's state and local agencies are mobilizing to coordinate resettlement services, financial assistance, and housing," wrote Inslee. "Concurrently, a groundswell of support has arisen from companies, community organizations, and individuals, all offering to contribute time and resources to the relief effort."

No details were released on how the state is going to assist the immigrants.

The U.S. assisted more than 100,000 Afghans fled the country since the Taliban took control.

"While you consider all ways to rapidly airlift tens of thousands of people, I hope that you work to ensure services are readily available without regard to visa status – including resettlement programming, work authorization, and financial assistance – and to mitigate the imposition of costs or fees onto these vulnerable individuals," wrote Inslee.

The governor indicated how immigrants in the past enriched the economy and culture of Washington.

"In the past decade, almost 5,000 of these refugees have hailed from Afghanistan. Carrying with them the trauma of war, they nonetheless contribute significantly to our state," he wrote. "Washington remains ready to provide aid to Afghans who find themselves in peril after these last 20 years of conflict, just as these members of our community once did."