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.

Stearns County tabled its E.O. 13888 Consent agenda item until the next meeting, a request for a letter from county consenting to refugee settlement. In Stearns County, there have been 662, 22 in 2019, and 12 in 2018. The County documents are below.

Stearns County Board – Video – Refugee Settlement begins at about 19 minutes in: VIDEO HERE

There’s quite a discussion here in Red Wing about Goodhue County’s upcoming decision whether the County will continue to allow refugee resettlement in the County. This decision is necessary due to Trump’s issuance of Executive Order 13888, which prohibits resettlement of refugees unless the Governor of the state and the head of the local governmental unit have consented in advance to refugee settlement.

That means that for refugees to be able to settle somewhere, there must be an affirmative YES! to allow settlement. Minnesota’s Gov. Walz has given his consent and has welcomed refugees to Minnesota:

Governor Walz to Trump Administration: ‘The Inn is Not Full in Minnesota’

In Minnesota, that means that local governments now also must consent to be able to settle refugees in the area. County by County, here are the numbers for Minnesota counties that admitted any refugees, ones not listed, such as Goodhue County, admitted ZERO. NONE! NADA!

Goodhue County will be discussing this in a Committee of the Whole meeting tomorrow, here’s my post on that:

Refugee Resettlement in Goodhue County

In the meantime, there a federal case working its way through Maryland Southern District — keep in mind that the tRump administration is not doing well in federal challenges of its immigration Executive Orders, tRump has lost most, if not all of them (so many, it’s hard to keep track!). Here’s the Complaint and Amici filings available online:

This is everything I can find, and I need to call PACER to get into my account (new computer, AAAAAAAAAARGH!) and look at the filings in the docket, so there may be more. I can’t find the Administration’s Answer, which should have been filed in December. I’ll be digging for that and more when I can get into the court’s docket file.

4 p.m. Tuesday at Goodhue County Board Room, 3rd Floor.

This is Committee of the Whole discussion of continuation of existing Goodhue County policy to allow refugee resettlement, necessitated by tRump’s E.O. 13888 requiring prior consent of local governments.

Intent? How divisive can you get? There have been ZERO refugees resettled in Goodhue County in last 5 years.

Trump’sExecutive Order 13888 turned refugee resettlement on its head by prohibiting resettlement of refugees in an area unless both the state and local government have consented prior.

Gov. Walz to Trump Administration: “The inn is not full in Minnesota.”

Tomorrow, Tuesday 1/7,at 4:00 p.m., the Goodhue County Board, as Committee of the Whole, will address refugee resettlement:

1. Refugee Resettlement in Goodhue County

Documents:

1. Refugee Resettlement Presentation.pdf
2. Refugee Resettlement Additional Information.pdf

The meeting was announced on a facebook group here in Red Wing, and also the Red Wing Tea Party page. I cannot believe the vitriolic, hateful, and just plain ignorant comments being made.

What are people afraid of?

That’s an essay question that’ll take some thoughtful writing, an LTE perhaps, for another day. But in short, it’s about white folks seeing that the world is changing, that privilege as majority isn’t a given, and knowing how the majority has treated minorities, a fear that a reverse Golden Rule karma may be in the future. A similar issue are the cries of Sharia Law by those pushing a “Christian” theocracy, and failure to observe that U.S. is a country of agnostic laws based on the Constitution, particularly the 4th Amendment, by those coming here fleeing religious persecution.

In what world is something like this needed or wanted in a 16,000 population city like Red Wing, or in a rural county like Goodhue County?  What would be the envisioned purpose?

Goodhue County and the City of Red Wing have applied for Homeland Security money to buy one of these, a Lenco Bearcat.  Cost is $332,246.00.  They call the current one the “PeaceKeeper” armored vehicle.  They’re saying it’s too slow, and they’ve been having problems with it.  I saw it cruising toward downtown on West Ave. a few years ago, and was stunned, didn’t know they had one here — I mean really, whatever for?!?!  Meth labs?  Militaristic cults?  The Republican National Convention contractual obligations?  Folks, this isn’t St. Paul…

I’ve heard that the Goodhue County vote recently was that it would not opt in to this grant, but that there is another vote about it.  Red Wing will decide soon.

Goodhue County Commissioners (for your cut and pasting pleasure):  ron.allen@co.goodhue.mn.us, brad.anderson@co.goodhue.mn.us, dan.rechtzigel@co.goodhue.mn.us, jason.majerus@co.goodhue.mn.us, ted.seifert@co.goodhue.mn.us

City of Red Wing Mayor and Council (for your cut and pasting pleasure): dan.bender@ci.red-wing.mn.us, jsebion3@gmail.com , lisa.bayley@ci.red-wing.mn.us, deanhove@charter.net, dan.munson@ci.red-wing.mn.us, peggy.rehder@ci.red-wing.mn.us, ralph.rauterkus@ci.red-wing.mn.us, dustin.schulenberg@ci.red-wing.mn.us

A memo to the County Board from a Sheriff’s Deputy states:

The Emergency Response Team uses an armored vehicle on every mission and at events that may take place at the PINGP.

What does this mean?  How many “missions” and what are the details?  The phrase “at events that may take place at the PINGP” is odd — please explain!  Does this mean response to nuclear emergencies?  Does this mean response to Xcel Energy security concerns?  If this is about the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, shouldn’t Xcel Energy be paying for it?  They’ll probably say that these expenses are what the Utility Personal Property Tax is for, but I don’t think that’s how it works, it’s a separate issue!

Goodhue County LENCO Bearcat

City of Red Wing – CP_Project_Detail_M-Port_Auth-LencoBearcat

Again, cost is $332,246.00.  For this amount, the County and City could buy roughly 10 fully equipped squad cars (based on this linked Goodhue County purchase of 4). Think of the computer equipment they could buy with that kind of money!

Pages from CP_Project_Detail_M-Port_Auth_Squad Replacement

This is overkill, it is not needed in Red Wing, not needed in Goodhue County.  This is not “policing,” but is militarization of policing.  Not a trend I want in my community.