South Dakota legislator wants more information on
refugee costs, opposed by Lutherans and Muslim activist, by Ann Corcoran 1/9/18
If you are a new reader, you might
want to catch up by having a look at my South Dakota archive especially as it relates to meatpackers and
manufacturers (and mayors!) there pushing for ever-greater numbers of refugee
workers. South Dakota was on my 2016 road trip to see some of those situations
first hand.
And, see my previous post this
morning to see who and what this South Dakota Senator is really up against—big
powerful moneyed interests on the national level.
Here is the Argus Leader: PIERRE — A state senator on Monday said he would convene a legislative
panel to evaluate South Dakota’s immigration and refugee resettlement programs
with an eye toward the cost to taxpayers.
Sen. Neal Tapio, a Watertown Republican and likely U.S. House
candidate, said he was worried about the added expense immigrants and refugees placed on the state and local governments.
“Each level of government has
expended costs but we don’t know what the costs are,” Tapio said. “We have to
understand the impact these groups are putting on limited financial resources
of our state.”
Refugee resettlement advocates said
they hoped Tapio’s panel would highlight the positive aspects of bringing
refugee and immigrant groups to the state including cultural diversity and
long-term boosts to workforce and earnings.
[Republican] Gov. Dennis Daugaard
said the efforts to probe the state’s immigrant and refugee placement
procedures weren’t needed.
While the workgroup has not yet met formally, Tapio said members would
weigh bringing legislation rescinding the state’s agreement to allow Lutheran
Social Services to resettle refugees in South Dakota or requiring additional
state oversight over LSS.
Lutherans find laborers for big business. Taxpayers fund Lutherans for
that service. In fact, LSS’s mothership, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service headquartered in Baltimore signed two contracts with two BIG MEAT
companies in 2017. See here and here.
I had to laugh about this LSS CEO
bragging about transparency with refugee resettlement. What a joke!
Betty Oldenkamp, president and CEO
of Lutheran Social Services, defended LSS’ effort to keep lawmakers informed
about refugee resettlement in the state. She came over from Minnesota where she
was the “civil rights” director of CAIR.
“It’s our commitment to be very open
and transparent with our information with our work with refugee resettlement in
South Dakota,” Oldenkamp said, “and I think we have a good history of providing
that to elected officials.”
Not a surprise that immigration
lawyer Islam opposes any study of economic impact of migrant labor:
Taneeza Islam, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Peace,
questioned the need for such a workgroup and said Tapio’s calls for an
investigation put “immigrants, refugees and Muslims in real danger.” More here.
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