St. Croix County Board agrees to consider three resolutions related to refugees
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
HUDSON — The St. Croix County Board has agreed to consider three separate resolutions related to refugees that would support a Wisconsin Senate bill, would support a federal bill to amend the immigration act and would pause refugee resettlement in St. Croix County.
At the beginning of the St. Croix County Board’s March 5 meeting, Bob Long, chair of the county board, thanked all of those attending the meeting who wanted to make comments and those who had called, texted or sent e-mails about refugee resettlement.
At issue is a World Relief office that has opened in Eau Claire to settle 75 refugees in the Chippewa Valley.
World Relief is described as a Christian non-profit that helps refugees resettle in the United States.
Part of the requirements for resettling refugees is to consult with local government officials. The refugees can be resettled within a 100-mile radius of the World Relief office location.
St. Croix County Board members and dozens of people who attended the county board meeting were upset that there had not been any previous contact with St. Croix County officials.
Benjamin York, a section manager in the Refugee Section at the Wisconsin Bureau of Refugee Programs, said the only reason any refugees would settle in St. Croix County, since it is so far from Eau Claire and the services available there, is if they already had a family member living in St. Croix County.
The refugees relocating through the World Relief office in Eau Claire are expected to have come from The Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.
According to a WQOW news story a week ago, 21 people have been resettled in the Chippewa Valley so far.
Before York started his presentation at the March 5 county board meeting, Long said the board would listen to the information presented, would ask questions and would allow people in the audience to make comments.
The board would then give direction to St. Croix County Corporation Counsel Heather Amos about drafting a resolution or resolutions that the board would consider at a subsequent meeting, he said.
The process will be out of respect for the county board supervisors. They must have an opportunity to be educated before taking action on a complex issue. They must have time for a thoughtful discussion about the best way forward for St. Croix County, Long said.
“I will not be bullied into voting on a resolution from some other county before we’ve had the opportunity to discuss this issue in a meaningful way,” he said.
If the county board schedules a special meeting in a few days or a week, “it is not the end of the world,” Long said.
What is a refugee?
The definition of a refugee was established through the United Nations, and a refugee is a legally protected status, York said.
A refugee is someone who is unable or unwilling to return home because of a well-founded fear of persecution, or an actual experience of persecution, related to five criteria: race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion, he said.
While some people may use the term “refugee” to describe someone, such as a “climate refugee,” an actual refugee must fit the definition in relation to one or more of the five criteria, York said.
Examples of persecution would include confiscation or destruction of property, or being arrested, imprisoned, beaten, tortured or executed because of one’s race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.
The options open to refugees are voluntary repatriation to their home country; permanent resettlement in a neighboring country; or resettling in a third country, such as the United States, York said.
Resettlement, for people who fit the definition of refugee, is a federal right. The federal government determines how many and where they can resettle through a process that involves the U.S. State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, he said.
The federal process includes background checks, security checks and health checks. The fastest the process could occur is six months, but two to three years is a common amount of time to get through the process, York said.
Refugees are the “most vetted” people allowed into the United States using the most rigorous process, he said.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin does not have control of resettlement and has no control of where refugees go, how many of them there are or where they are from, York said, noting that while Wisconsin does not have direct control, the state can have some influence.
If a particular area does not seem like a good fit for refugees, then the state can provide information about why a particular place is not a good choice for resetting refugees, he said.
The federal government contracts with nine or 10 agencies, and World Relief of the Chippewa Valley is one of those agencies. Resettlement agencies cannot cross state lines in their resettlement efforts, and states cannot provide services across state borders, York said.
Resettlement agencies can resettle people within a 100-mile radius. Up to 75 people will be resettled in the Chippewa Valley until the end of September, he said.
The resettlement effort is focused on Eau Claire. When someone is being settled outside of the immediate service area, it is restricted to individuals with a family tie, so for someone to resettle in St. Croix county, that person would already have family living in St. Croix County, York said.
All together, 75 refugees will be settled in the Chippewa Valley, but in other places the number could range from 75 to 175, York said.
Other areas that would have larger numbers of refugees being resettled would be Dane County, Marathon County, Brown County and the Fox Valley because they have resettled refugees prior to this, he said.
Resettlement is not in Wisconsin’s control, but those areas that have been resettling refugees for some time have more refugees assigned to that area because those areas work out well both for the refugees and the area where they have resettled, York said.
York said that part of his job is making sure there are resources and support for refugees and making sure that the programs are funded for five years after their arrival.
The programs for refugees are federally funded, and the funds are awarded to social service providers with which the federal government has contracted, he said.
People who are seeking asylum are completely different from refugees. Those who are seeking asylum are not resettled through resettlement agencies, York said.
People resettled through resettlement agencies receive up to 12 months of cash or medical assistance at the same rate that cash and medical assistance is awarded to United States citizens so that the refugees are not receiving more or less, he said.
Everything else is service based, such as helping people find employment and helping people learn English as a second language and becoming enrolled for education, York said.
Migrants
Rick Ottino, county board supervisor, asked about migrants.
If people walk across the border, were not legally admitted to the country and were not screened, then those people are not refugees, York said.
“That’s a different topic and a different fight,” he said.
What happens after five years? asked Tim Ramberg, county board supervisor.
Refugees receive 12 months of financial support, but after the 12 months, they receive four years of services. After the four years, refugees can be provided with information when they need it or with referrals for an unlimited amount of time, York said.
Services can include finding someone to interpret, if necessary, and helping refugees apply for United States citizenship, he said.
When
When do the local officials get to have a say about refugees? asked Mark Carlson, county board supervisor.
Local government officials are supposed to be informed within 100 miles, so when do the elected officials get a say? he asked.
The state of Wisconsin does not oversee the initial process. The World Relief organization would do that, and the federal bureaus and departments that oversee refugees would do that, York said, noting that federal officials had visited the City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County.
How many?
How many people are assigned to an area, and who decides on 75? asked Paul Adams, county board supervisor.
The request process starts with the federal partner. There are nine or 10 organizations that resettle refugees, and those organizations make a request or recommendation to Wisconsin to consult with the state office, York said.
Wisconsin has influence but does not have control. The federal government requires all states to have a state coordinator, he said.
As York had mentioned earlier in his presentation, the number of refugees could range from 75 to 175, with the larger number of refugees going to more urban or populated areas where there are jobs and services available and where those areas have had prior experience with relocating refugees and where refugees are welcomed.
Also as York had mentioned earlier, none of the agencies want to resettle refugees in areas that do not seem like a good fit.
So the federal government determines which refugees are allowed into the country, and then the numbers are allocated to a state, said Ken Witt, county administrator.
The federal government sets a cap for a region, such as 20,000 from Subsaharan Africa or 25,000 from Southeast Asia, then those refugees are assigned to a certain agency, York said.
So World Relief of the Chippewa Valley would make a request for refugees for a certain area, and the state goes off that request, and then the agency determines where the refugees are placed, Witt said.
“Yes,” York said, noting again that any refugees who would be placed in St. Croix County would have personal family ties in the county.
Because of the amount of drive time involved, the agencies want to keep the refugees within a “tight halo” of the office so that instead of wasting time driving to where the refugees are living, they can spend time providing them with help and with the services they need, he said.
Notification
Is there a legal requirement for notification? Witt asked.
Notification is a requirement of resettlement, and the program consults with the state, York said, adding that the resettlement of refugees is in consultation with local officials.
In 2019, an executive order for local written notification was struck down by the courts, he said.
The state legislature now has proposed legislation for written notification, York said.
With current policies, is there a process for a community to say whether the community wants refugees? Witt asked.
There is not a specific pathway now. That is why there is a state agency, to be aware of where refugees could be relocated that would be a benefit to the communities and to the refugees, York said.
Some communities ask for refugees, especially now when there is a worker shortage and employers are having trouble finding workers, he said.
A 15-year study has concluded that refugees provide a benefit to the tax base because they purchase homes, start businesses and add to the workforce, York said.
Of the 75 refugees that will be resettled in the Chippewa Valley, likely half of them will be children, he noted.
No refugees
Can Wisconsin opt out of taking refugees? Wyoming does not accept refugees, Carlson said.
The United States has been resettling refugees since 1980. Out of the 50 states, 42 or 43 of them have state refugee coordinator positions, York said.
If a state does not lead the process, there could be a “replacement designee” for the state, he said.
Three federal organizations oversee resettlement. The consultation process was completed for the Chippewa Valley and it was done correctly for the requirements that are currently in place, he said.
Support
There is 12 months of federal support for cash and medical services. If there is a husband and a wife and two children, is there infrastructure support or is it up to the county or the community?asked Jerry VanSomeren, county board supervisor.
York said it is his job to oversee the day to day operations of refugee resettlement in Wisconsin and to make sure that federal support is received and to make sure the resources are available for literacy, to fund the school districts, and to make sure there are after-school programs and in-class supports for refugees.
The eligibility for services is for five years, and the federal government contracts for services. The contracts can be one or two years, and renewable for one or two years, although sometimes it could be up to a six-year contract cycle, York said.
Carlson said he had attended the Eau Claire meeting with World Relief of the Chippewa Valley about resettling refugees.
People at the meeting were told there would be 90 days of services, and then it would be up the local community to fund and take care of everything else for services after that, he said.
Carlson did not clarify if he had attended an Eau Claire City Council meeting, an Eau Claire County Board meeting or some other meeting set up with World Relief of the Chippewa Valley.
York said his agency does fund World Relief, and that while he was not at an Eau Claire meeting, he did attend a meeting with the federal agencies.
Word Relief has an obligation to provide funding and resources for refugees for five years, he said.
Pause
Bob Feidler, county board vice chair, asked what impact a resolution asking for a pause in resettling refugees would have on refugee resettlement in St. Croix County.
If the St. Croix County Board approved a resolution, the federal government could take it into consideration, and World Relief could take it into consideration, York said, adding that in his personal experience, a resolution to pause refugee resettlement would not be likely to have an impact.
York had previously said several times that refugee resettlement in St. Croix County, from the World Relief of the Chippewa Valley resettlement effort, would only take place if a refugee resettling to St. Croix County had a member of the refugee’s family already living in St. Croix County.
St. Croix County
One county board supervisor asked about a World Relief office opening in St. Croix County.
It is a long approval process for agencies that resettle refugees to be able to set up an office, York said.
The state has to weigh in on whether the location for the office “is a good place or not” and whether it is a good place to resettle refugees, he said.
In addition, there is the consultation process, but it would take many months if not years for an office to be opened in St. Croix County, because there are multiple steps in the process, York said.
Purpose
Another county board member asked about holding the consultation process “behind closed doors.”
It was not clear from the supervisor’s comments about “closed doors,” which “closed doors” he was referring to.
The consultation process is a federal process that must happen with local officials, York said.
There is a difference between meeting a requirement and meeting the purpose, he said.
The recent experience with World Relief of the Chippewa Valley is a learning opportunity, York said.
World Relief thought they did the right thing, but apparently they did not, and World Relief has learned something about how to do it better, he said.
The reference to a“closed door” meeting may have been referring to a meeting, reported by several news outlets, with the Eau Claire city manager, who is a local official although is not a local elected official.
Migrants (again)
Ottino asked about the “millions” who are coming over the border who do not fit the definition of a refugee but who are coming into the country with a “criminal background.”
Refugees are not part of the population of people who are coming to the United States through other pathways, York said.
Some of the people coming to the United States are undocumented, and some of them are in the United States on student or work visas, but the state agency devoted to refugees does not keep track of numbers for other people coming to the United States, York said, adding that he only works with legally admitted refugees.
World Relief can only provide resettlement for refugees but not for other immigrant populations, he said.
World Relief only receives a referral after the federal government has given approval for the refugee, York said.
Public comments
The St. Croix County board listened to more than an hour of public comments, limited to two minutes per person.
Two people spoke about being a welcoming community and helping people who need help, one at the beginning and one toward the end of public comments.
“I hear the fear (among you). There are dangerous people in this room. I am heartbroken that we want to make a resolution that says, “You are not welcome here,” said the second woman.
So many people wanted to speak who live outside St. Croix County, that the county board chair eventually limited the comments to only those who were St. Croix County residents.
Some of the people who spoke, many of whom ultimately were not from St. Croix County and at least one of whom apparently was an immigrant from another country, expounded on conspiracy theories about the Muslin Brotherhood, were in fear of “sharia law” being imposed on all Americans, and were concerned about spending money on people who they considered to be undeserving because “we need to take care of our own people first.”
One person who spoke was upset because his property taxes had already increased, and he was afraid that taking care of refugees would cause his local property taxes to increase more.
Some of them talked about people coming over the southern border, even though immigrants coming over the southern border have nothing to do with refugees, which has a specific definition and is a protected status under federal law.
Some of the people who spoke expressed a fear and distrust of the federal government and of elected officials in general, even though they were making an appeal to elected officials to keep all refugees out of St. Croix County.
From the tone of the public comments, and the tone of some of the comments and the questions from St. Croix County Board members, it would seem that St. Croix County probably would not be the “good fit” that resettlement agencies are seeking.
The St. Croix County Board was scheduled to hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. March 12 to consider the three resolutions about resettlement that the board had instructed the corporation counsel to write.
