More than 300 refugees planned for Rutland

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont refugee resettlement organization has proposed bringing more than 300 refugees to the city of Rutland in the next three years.

Amila Merdzanovic, the Vermont director of the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants, wrote in an email to the city’s Board of Aldermen this week that the organization has proposed to federal officials to resettle 75 people in Rutland in fiscal year 2023, 100 in fiscal year 2024 and 150 in fiscal year 2025, the Rutland Herald reported.

The city is now home to 13 people who fled from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from there last year. Two Syrian families arrived in 2017.

“They are settling in well, all are working at local manufacturing companies, learning English, and connecting with community members,” Merdzanovic wrote. “Many Rutlanders have given them a warm welcome and are helping them get settled in the community.”

Gov. Phil Scott has been a strong proponent of refugee resettlement. He’s also issued a call inviting the federal government to settle Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion in the state.