Iowa’s newest refugee family doesn’t stay long

Iowa’s newest refugee family has left the state after just ten days here. The family arrived in central Iowa September 7th from Afghanistan, the same nation now in the crosshairs for a possible American military strike. Laura Keegan, volunteer coordinator for Catholic Charities in Des Moines, tried to help them settle in. Keegan says one family member, a 16-year-old boy, said the U-S -should- go ahead with it’s retaliatory attack.He hopes the U-S can capture Kabul, which is where his family used to live, as the people who remain would have a better life if the ruling Taliban is overthrown. The Afghans have relatives who’ve lived near Sacramento, California, for several years, so they’ve moved there. Keegan says several other refugee families -had- been planning to settle in Iowa over the next few weeks but their status — and futures — are all on hold. Keegan isn’t even sure where they are — perhaps in Europe.Keegan says the Afghans were “very afraid to leave their house for fear of harassment simply because of where they’re from in the world.”