Among those eager to help is Halil Bequiri, a Macedonia native who came to Fort Dix on Wednesday seeking information on taking in refugees. As many as my home can hold, until it falls down. The refugees will undergo preliminary screening by immigration officials, receive photo identification badges and get dormitory assignments. Albanian-speaking mental health and trauma counselors also will be available. The accommodations are a far cry from the refugee camps in Macedonia, which are filled to two or three times their capacity.
Sanitation is poor and the risk of disease increases as the weather gets warmer.
Officials expect to move about 2,000 refugees a week through Fort Dix and Kennedy and plan to eventually phase out entry through Fort Dix. The refugee settlement is a massive undertaking by the United States and the first at Fort Dix since Hungarian refugees were brought here in the late 1950s. The refugees will have a year to apply for permanent residence, State Department deputy spokesman James Foley said at a news briefing in Washington. Officials expect most will return to their homeland. The group arriving Wednesday was to be given welcome kits, including, soap, shampoo and a towel, and will receive an orientation in U.S. culture.