The Stearns County Commission perhaps thinks it avoided making a politically charged decision about resettling refugees when it tabled the issue at a Jan. 7 meeting. The commissioners plan to take up the issue again on Jan. 28.
In September, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order that local governments had to agree in writing to allow refugees to be placed within the county and set a late January deadline for them to act.
But last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the order that would allow state and local officials to block refugee resettlements in their jurisdictions.
Because the court ruling is temporary and could be lifted or overturned, and because immigration policy will again be debated in this fall’s election, the county board should vote on the issue. Residents deserve to know where their commissioners stand. Board Chairman Leigh Lenzmeier told the St. Cloud Times that citizens are split about 50-50 on the issue.
Refugee resettlement agencies have asked the 25 Minnesota counties, where refugees have resettled in the past five years, to confirm they support resettlement within their borders.
As of Jan. 8, at least 13 of those counties have voted to continue to accept refugees, according to MPR News. Several of the 25 counties have not yet taken any action on the issue. Three counties have delayed or scheduled hearings in the coming weeks or months. Beltrami County became the first county in the state to reject resettlement after a county board vote on Jan. 7.
According to background information prepared for the commissioners, during the last five years, more than 70 percent of people resettled were women and children. Approximately 95 percent of refugees placed in Minnesota were reunited with family members already here.
In 2019, 848 refugees were resettled in Minnesota, with 22 placed in Stearns County. In 2018, 663 refugees were resettled in Minnesota, with 12 placed in Stearns County. In the past 10 years, approximately 1,300 refugees were placed in Stearns County. Local sponsors report that nearly all refugees placed in Stearns County are reunited with family – almost all immediate family.
Statewide, the top five countries of origin for refugees are Somalia 23,990, Laos 22,033, Vietnam 15,074, Burma 8,549 and Ethiopia 6,364.
Resettlement opponents claim the costs are a burden on county taxpayers. According to data prepared for the county board, in 2018, public health spent $31,481 assisting refugees, which included assistance and screening for people subjected to trafficking and enslavement. The county spent $161,000 for interpreter services, all of which cannot be attributed to refugees because the county provides interpreter services for about 16 different languages needed by all residents. Refugees can qualify, the same as any resident, for state and federal public assistance programs administered by the county.
“City governments in the St. Cloud area report no discernible costs associated with refugees or immigrants,” according to the report to commissioners.
When commissioners meet again, they should vote to accept primary refugees. Stearns County, along with most of Minnesota, should continue to be a welcoming place that supports diversity. Stearns County has a long history of accepting immigrants who want to join their families already here. That acceptance dates back to the 1850s with the arrival of German Catholics.
More recently, Stearns County is viewed, accurately or inaccurately, as a place hostile to “outsiders” especially people of color. Before Jan. 28, ask your commissioner to support a yes vote for resettlement and make a stand for wiping away the image of hostility.
