Reuben Panchol is shown Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 at the North Dakota state capitol in Bismarck. Panchol, who immigrated from Sudan to North Dakota as a child, says he hopes to tell his personal story at a meeting Monday, Dec. 9 at which the Burleigh County Commission may vote against accepting any new refugees. It's believed the county would be the first to do so since President Donald Trump's executive order earlier this fall gave states and counties the ability to do so.
Panchol hopes to share his story on Monday with members of a local commission who are set to vote on whether their county will stop accepting refugees. If they vote to bar refugees, as expected, Burleigh County — home to about 95,000 people and the capital city of Bismarck — could become the first local government to do so since President Donald TrumpThe county postponed a vote last week when more than 100 people showed up and overflowed the commission’s normal meeting space.
Trump’s executive order this fall came as he had already proposed cutting the number of refugees next year to the lowest level since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980. He declared that refugees should be resettled only in places where the state and local governments — counties — gave consent. Since then, many governors and counties around the country have declared that they would continue taking refugees.
“Right now it’s a blank check and that equates into a lot of questions,” Bakken said of the number of refugees that could be placed in the area. “We have burgeoning school enrollment, veterans’ needs, homeless needs, and Native American needs.Shirley Dykshoorn, a vice president for Lutheran Social Services, which handles all ofcases, said her agency used to handle about 400 cases per year, but that number dropped to 124 in fiscal 2019, which ended in September.
Burgum, who has said he’ll seek a second term, acknowledged that Burleigh County’s vote could be seen as unwelcoming in a state that has about 30,000 more jobs than takers.The Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which works with Lutheran Social Services, is one of three national organizationsto block Trump’s executive order.
jackmjenkins Reminds me of this story I wrote 4 years ago in York County SC.
the deep north ... smh
Congress sets immigration policy, and states can't create their own. This won't stand up.
Good. These refugees are supported for life by taxpayers. Time to stop this.
Based
I may move to to N Dakota
Watch their economy tank.
I thought better of North Dakota. What a shame.
Hey, I'm North Dakotan (really) and need a good job first.
dannowicki They shouldn't worry no one wants to move to that shithole state. northdakotashouldannexwithcanada.
Read about Hazleton, PA an anti-immigrant city that was dying. Unwanted immigrants moved in and revitalized the dying city which is now thriving. Rather than sucking resources, the immigrants multiplied the city’s resources and changes its politics.
This is just wrong.
Good for them!!!
Um, that’s Bismarck, the state capital. You’d think there’d be enough lawyers there to figure out that their idea is both unworkable and illegal.
They aren't barring refugees, they not supporting federal busing of refugees to their county.
North Dakota should be grateful for anyone choosing to come live there. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
Another reason to be thankful I've never stepped foot in North Dakota.
Who the hell wants to live in North Dakota anyway?
..... do better ndgov!!
daveweigel North Dakota being the 4th least densely populated state with just 760,000 people spread over 70,762 square miles. RacistsNeedTheirSpace
Nice. I'll move there. Because I'm tired of these refugees bringing their crap with them and never adapting to the American way of life. Want proof? Look at Ilhan, tlaib and aoc.
daveweigel (Refugees rejoice around the globe as no longer will they be placed in North Dakota)
I rarely hear of anyone wanting to go to North Dakota anyway.
Obama started filling North Dakota with refugees to make it a blue State.
Racism is alive and well. Extremely sad.
Burleigh County, ND has nothing to worry about 😂
Sad. Hypocritical. Those coucilmen best look back just 2-3 generations...unless they are Lakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, or Irikara, they too are products of immigration.
daveweigel We’d love to welcome them to Maine!! North Dakota doesn’t deserve bright, talented, hard working people! And Maine is warmer!!! mepolitics welcomerefugees
Over 85% white, they forgot how their ancestors got the lands from the Indians.
daveweigel So many refugees scam the system to live large in glitzy Burleigh County
Don't understand how any community can bar residence to anyone other than those who have violated a law. Can anyone explain other than, 'Trump said so'?
daveweigel North Dakota should just become the white ethnostate unironically. What do we get out of it?
daveweigel What ND needs: Less people
Doesn't the last line of your anthem have ' land of the free ' in it.
Welfare queen farmers need to protect America from socialist
That shows you why N Dakota is one of the least populated states. No one wanted to live there before they kick out immigrants. You never know when hate will turn its ugly head on you.
daveweigel Performative cruelty
Wow....Man America loves a good immigrant crisis. Prohibition, Reefer Madness all that shit was driven politically by fear of 'foreigners'
daveweigel Nazism.
And here I thought only South Dakota was on it, but apparently, North Dakota is on it too
💔 Burleigh County is 93% white. What are they worried about? If any refugee is willing to live there, let 'em.
With the census on the way, North Dakota may find it needs the ratio.
They don't want their State to become unrecognizable, can't blame them. Look at California
Good!
Why is Hannibal Burress used as a picture here?
Ain’t this the state with that Nazi town Leith? Doesn’t surprise me.
Not even cockroaches want to live in North Dakota, refugees won't be missing out on much.
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