Minnesota, Aid, and Immigrants
Timothy Birdnow
More Somalis are coming to Minnesota (sorry about that Dana.)
From the article:
Somali refugees are leaving Arizona for Minnesota in huge numbers. Why?
Bilad Yusuf and her seven kids are on their way to Minnesota, less than two months after they arrived in Phoenix from Somalia:
"We didn't know how to get jobs in Phoenix, and even if we did, we
didn't know how we'd get to them," she explained through an interpreter
who translated from Somali to English. Does this sound like a
well-planned out Federal resettlement immigration program to you?
In Phoenix, without a car, they found themselves lost: Where were they
supposed to get groceries? How did they go about setting up
long-overdue doctor's appointments under free Medicaid? How would they
find work if they had no skills and didn't speak English or Spanish?
How would they get around without a car? How would they pay rent after
their initial stipend from the U.S. government ran out?
The Somali Association of Arizona stepped in, providing groceries and
setting up doctor's appointments for the family. But they couldn't do
anything about the fact that the fact that with limited English and no
training, they weren't qualified for any jobs. Worried that her rent
would be cut off soon, Yusuf decided they should move to Minnesota,
where the benefits are excellent and where she, like virtually all
Somalis, have family. Mukhtar Sheikh, the program coordinator for the
Somali Association of Arizona, says that Yusuf's story is a common one.
As many as half the Somali refugees resettled in Arizona end up leaving
for Minnesota.
The biggest challenge for Somalis is finding a job. Even jobs cleaning
hotel rooms or washing dishes in a restaurant come with a requirement
that applicants speak English — or, unofficially, Spanish. They speak
neither.
So how did Minnesota become a hub for Somali refugees?
Most credit the strength of Minnesota's "voluntary agencies" - called
VOLAGS - groups like Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities
who are paid big money with our tax dollars to resettle refugees. These
quasi-governmental agencies welcomed the first wave of Somali refugees
to Minnesota in the early 1990s, and others soon followed. It should be
noted that none of the VOLAGS are actually associated with the church,
they just hijack the name for political expediency. The U.S. State
Department decides where new refugees should end up and it often
depends on how many voluntary agencies are in the area to expedite the
process.
See how that works? If you build it, they will come! Anyone who has ever had a picnic knows that the ants go for the food.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
12:17 PM
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1
Don't come here! The temperature's in single digits today! And it won't get really comfortable for three or four more months!
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at February 19, 2020 12:46 PM (rIYC+)
2
Brrrrr! Can't imagine why they want to go to Minnesota; Somalia is a pretty warm place. I would think Arizona would be more their speed.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at February 20, 2020 07:18 AM (3N2ap)
3
I think New Mexico's more leftist-friendly.
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at February 20, 2020 11:39 AM (rIYC+)
Posted by: Samy Mor at February 03, 2021 08:24 AM (e407W)
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