Governor Kristi Noem has issued a letter of consent for direct resettlement of refugees in South Dakota in 2020.
The letter is in response to a September executive order from President Donald Trump requiring consent from state governors as well as consent from county leadership where resettlement occurs.
Betty Oldenkamp is the president of Lutheran Social Services. She says LSS has been working with the Noem administration since the executive order was announced. Oldenkamp says she’s pleased with Noem’s announcement.
“We have the opportunity now to assist them to start a new dream, basically, in South Dakota, and to become contributing citizens in our state," Oldenkamp says. "We’re just excited to be able to continue what we believe has been our calling all along. That is to welcome the stranger in our midst.”
Lutheran Social Services handles refugee resettlement in South Dakota. Minnehaha County is the only county in the state where refugees are directly placed, though all refugees are allowed to move freely once they are settled.
The target of 60 regufee arrivals into South Dakota in 2020 is a Lutheran Social Services estimate. LSS says that number could end up being much lower. This continues a downward trend for refugee resettlement. In 2019, 130 people were resettled in Minnehaha County.
Lutheran Social Services must also seek consent from the Minnehaha County Commission to proceed with resettlement services in the new year. Dates for that decision have not been announced.
A previous version of this story stated that "according to federal policy, no more than 60 refugees can be placed in Minnehaha County in 2020."