A group hopes to distinguish between fact and myth about refugee resettlement with a public webinar in November.
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota will have a webinar from 3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 14. Panelists, including staff and state and local leaders, will talk about how resettlement works and the costs and benefits of the program in the St. Cloud area.
There will be time for questions from the public after the presentations and discussion.
Panelists include:
- Yusuf Abdi, director of refugee services, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.
- Karin Blythe, resettlement supervisor, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.
- Teresa Bohnen, president, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.
- Melissa Huberty, human services administrator, Stearns County Human Services.
- Mary Zelenak, health protection and promotion supervisor, Stearns County Public Health.
- Rachele King, state refugee coordinator, Minnesota Department of Human Services.
The discussion over the cost of refugee resettlement in St. Cloud has been reignited recently, as a St. Cloud City Council member announced a plan to termporarily stop refugees from resettling in St. Cloud.
Jeff Johnson, who represents St. Cloud’s Fourth Ward, submitted a draft resolution this week calling for a moratorium on refugee resettlement in St. Cloud.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also launched a petition Tuesday urging the St. Cloud City Council to vote no on the moratorium, which the organization called a “despicable, racist, Islamophobic, and ill-informed motion targeting refugees.”
Two groups — one local and one statewide — are coming out hard against it, as is at least one state legislator.
UniteCloud and CAIR-Minnesota have spoken out against the action, urging people to express their opinions to elected officials.
Rep. Fue Lee, D-Minneapolis — who is a refugee from Thailand — is calling the moratorium resolution an attack on the community.
The issue could be raised at a council meeting on Monday and on Nov. 6.
Refugee resettlment has become a national issue as well, as President Donald Trump has pursued bans on Muslim immigration, which could include refugees.
More information
Refugee resettlement webinar
When: 3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 14.
Panelists include Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota staff, Central Minnesota and state leaders.
To pre-register for the webinar, visit register.gotowebinar.com/register/7780389855372859395.
For more Fact Checks on refugees and immigration by St. Cloud Times staff, visit sctimes.com/news/immigration.