Free Republic

The U.S. Department of State has warned Afghan refugees that California and Washington, D.C., might be too expensive.... “Please be aware that the cost of living and the availability of housing can vary significantly in different locations across the United States,” the department’s website read. “The Washington, DC metro area including northern Virginia and some cities in California are very expensive places to live... ....The webpage used to display a list of 19 “welcoming communities” for Afghans fleeing the Taliban, but now only suggests that refugees steer clear of the “very expensive places to live” according to WMTV. Chicago, Phoenix,...

WASHINGTON — Federal Emergency Management Agency officials expect that they will soon be drawn deeper into the nationwide effort to resettle Afghan refugees, adding another complex challenge to a crushing shower of disasters that has cascaded down on the beleaguered agency over the last 18 months. The White House recently named Bob Fenton, the agency's former acting administrator and head of its Region 9 office, to lead the Homeland Security Department's resettlement task force.... ..."FEMA is stretched thin, relying on an overworked workforce," said a second agency official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We were not designed to be...