Catholic Charities of Green Bay held a panel to discuss how many Afghan refugees would be coming to Wisconsin, originally expecting 399, but that number is expected to rise in the months to come.

The refugee response comes after the U.S.’ withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the fleeing of tens of thousands of Afghan individuals. 

“Here in Brown County we have already received our first Afghan clients. We now have I believe it’s seven and we will be welcoming more in the coming weeks,” Karmen Lemke, Catholic Charities of Green Bay, told W Bay.

The panel was held with St. Norbert College on Oct. 18. The refugees who arrive in Wisconsin were given a welcome packet and were met with in order to see what basic needs they need help meeting. 

Fort McCoy is housing nearly 13,000 Afghan refugees, which is more than any other base in the nation; roughly half of those refugees are children. The base is accepting donations of new or lightly used clothing, which can be dropped off at the Salvation Army, according to WPR.

According to the Catholic Principles of Migration, anyone who is seeking safety from war or persecution would be helped by the global community. All immigrants, no matter their legal status, are also affirmed to have human dignity and deserve to be treated with respect, according to Justice for Immigrants.