Freedom House Detroit helps settle some of 1,300 Afghan refugees arriving in Michigan

FOX 2 - "They are all fleeing for the same reasons. Some were given a designation prior to coming to the United States, and the others are going to ask for that protection when they are in the country," said Deb Drennan.

Drennan is the CEO of the Detroit-based Freedom House. For the last 40 years, their team has worked with families seeking asylum, giving them a safe place to live while helping them navigate a complex legal protection process that can involve multiple government agencies.

"They are in placements to make sure they are safe first - and then moving them into the service arenas of either resettlement, a lot of unaccompanied minors. A lot of kids came alone and asylum seekers here," she said.

FOX 2: "Are you prepared?"

"We are," she said. "We are prepared if anyone walks in our door night and day, so we are prepared to take anyone."

Drennan believes Afghan refugees who have been in quarantine and receiving medical treatment are expected to be released at any time, and many families will likely head to the Freedom House for help.

For Afghans who do not have valid immigration status, they are granted humanitarian parole, which gives them one year to apply for permanent status.

Besides facilitating the legal process,  Freedom House provides asylum seekers food, clothes, housing and counseling.  Other key services include job training and English classes as they work to become permanent residents.

"Everything is done here," Drennan said. "You live here, you eat here, and your services are here, or referred to one of our partners."

It is much-needed support since Drennan says asylum seekers aren't allowed to work during the asylum process.

Families who come to Freedom House are more than willing to do the work, since many have already been tortured enough, and cannot safely return home with the fear of persecution.

"It's a huge challenge," she said. "It's a long process of course. You know the backlog, so if it is even longer and people who seek asylum have one year to do that."

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