Legalectric

THANK YOU, Goodhue County Board.

Yesterday, the Goodhue County Board‘s Committee of the Whole consented to refugee resettlement, continuing its long-standing policy of accepting refugees. This meeting left me feeling that despite the loud, angry, misinformed, in some cases outright lying and inciting, opposition, “the right thing to do” prevailed. I spent two days researching, lobbying, emailing, fbing, twitting (naaah, not much), Legalectricing, and phone calling, many others doing the same, and so many showing up.

County building was on lockdown, only one entrance open, metal detector, and at least 7-8 deputies at door, as many upstairs in hall and in meeting room, due to a “credible threat.”

This whole mess started with years of anti-Islamic rhetoric (How Minnesota Republican Operatives are sowing distrust of Muslims) and then tRump’s open campaign to end Muslim entry into the U.S.

Then came the Muslim Ban Executive Orders, challenged in court at every turn and almost always the court finds them unconstitutional (how many times do we have to do this… well, we have to do this EVERY time he issues one of these Orders).

Remember
Executive Order 13769 -Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States ???

Then last fall, along comes Executive Order 13888, which requires that a state and local government must give prior consent before any refugees can be resettled in that jurisdiction:

Note Pending legal challenge to tRump’s E.O. 13888.

And don’t forget that tRump cut refugee admissions to just 18,000 for the entire U.S.:

Anyhoo, state by state, county by county, we’re going through this process to consent to refugee resettlement. If there’s no consent, then no refugees can settle here (initially, they can be settled elsewhere, and move here, though if they do move into a non-consenting state, their 90 days of financial aid ends). Goodhue County addressed consent last night, and granted consent, which means that the County will continue its long-standing policy of acceptance of refugees. It was an administrative action, because the County policy is, has been forever, to accept refugees. Accepting refugees, for Goodhue County, doesn’t mean much, as the last refugee resettled here was in 2011, exactly ONE, and in 2010, also exactly ONE. None since. But it’s an important symbolic statement to make in light of EO 13888.

Last night it was a packed room. Here’s the Board:

Here are the documents included in the County packet:

1. Refugee Resettlement in Goodhue County

Documents:

Refugee Resettlement Presentation.pdf

Refugee Resettlement Additional Information.pdf

And it’s been an ugly time here in River City, with the Red Wing Tea Party agitating, with an irresponsible “candidate” for MN’s Congressional District 2 (this time around) delivering an inciteful rant about Goodhue County’s consideration of consent, a decision required by E.O. 13888. There’s been a rash of anti-Muslim wildly false and hateful statements, things that are jaw-dropping. When we got to the county building, all the entrances were roped off, saying to go around to the 5th street entrance, and going in, we’re greeted bydeputies galore, a sign in sheet, and metal detector. At the beginning of the meeting, there was an announcement that there was a credible threat, hence security beefed up like I’ve never seen at the County.

In the Red Wing Republican-bEagle:

Goodhue County approves refugee resettlement

A prior post here on Legalectric:

Refugee Resettlement in Goodhue County

THANK YOU, Goodhue County Board.