EXCERPT: “This week, Beltrami County commissioners made news for being the first in Minnesota to bar refugees from settling in their county upon arrival to the U.S. The vote was prompted by an executive order from President Donald Trump that leaves it up to local governments to decide whether or not to allow new refugees to be settled within their jurisdictions. Several counties in Minnesota, including Kandiyohi and Hennepin, have voted to allow refugee resettlement. Others, including St. Louis and Stearns counties, have tabled their decisions to vote later. Counties are required to opt in to allow refugee resettlement, so if they don’t take action by the time the order takes effect in June, they will have effectively voted no. The Beltrami vote, which came down 3-2 Tuesday night in Bemidji, was largely a symbolic one: according to Minnesota Department of Health data, Beltrami County has not taken new arrivals with refugee status for at least a decade.” FULL STORY: http://bit.ly/37SKrBs
