S.D. won't help feds place more refugees

South Dakota won’t participate in the White House’s next push to increase the number of refugees escaping poverty and violence.

The director of the lone resettlement program in South Dakota said it would not participate in the federal effort, citing the debate over immigration in the state.

“There’s people that fall on both sides of this particular issue," said Tim Jurgens, director of Lutheran Social Service's Center for New Americans.

Jurgens said the center won't increase its numbers, in part because it wants to be mindful of people opposed to welcoming refugees.

“We try to visit with anybody, regardless of their opinion and try to inform them of the process and collect their input,” Jurgens said.

Meanwhile, the group has raised millions of dollars for a new space for its refugee services, and was awarded a $250,000 grant Thursday from the federal government to help immigrants prepare for citizenship.

Fewer refugees are finding a home in Sioux Falls and the rest of the state in recent years in spite of the federal government’s wishes. Lutheran Social Services plans to end a direct resettlement program in Huron at the end of the month.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress about the White House’s plan Tuesday, announcing the administration’s 2017 goal of finding new homes for 110,000 refugees.

Need is greater than ever, according to the United Nations. More than 65 million men, women and children across the globe were displaced from homes last year because of persecution and war.

Refugees are vital to the local economy, said Christy Nicolaisen, executive director of the Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls. Immigrants add to the labor pool as Sioux Falls businesses continue to struggle to find workers.

Nicolaisen’s group partners with local employers such as John Morrell and Co. to provide immigrants with job opportunities.

“We need workforce,” Nicolaisen said. “And I think that’s a way to get workforce.”

Despite the economic benefits, a drastic increase in the need for asylum and millions of dollars donated to Lutheran Social Service’s this year for expansion, the group has no plans to increase its yearly cap on the number of refugees it brings to South Dakota. Organizers set the bar at about 420 newcomers each year, and will continue to hold firm, Jurgens said.

African refugee Wilson Kubwayo, 22, was curious about the group’s reasons. Refugees depend on the resettlement program to escape the poor conditions of camps and achieve their own professional and academic goals, Kubwayo said.

“For me, the very lifestyle I cherish today is because of the people who chose to open their hands to my family,” Kubwayo said.

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Politics alone isn’t a deciding factor when it comes to determining how many refugees South Dakota welcomes. A committee of stakeholders, including lawmakers, police and hospitals set goals for the program, and file an annual report to the federal government. Capacity is based on available housing, employment and other factors, Jurgens said.

His group will continue to provide support to refugees in Huron and Sioux Falls, and welcome hundreds of new refugees to the state each year. But numbers have steadily slowed, including a decline in migrants who come here from other states. The stream of refugees to the state narrowed from 646 in 2012 to 381 last year.

LSS also ignored the last attempt by the White House to spur resettlement. Last year, the administration bumped the goal from 70,000 to 85,000 refugees and South Dakota's numbers continued to wane.

The nonprofit is spending $5.4 million to buy and remodel the old Kilian Community College building in an effort to expand space for refugees. It asked the public to pitch in $1.25 million this spring. But the improvements aren’t designed to make room for a larger caseloads.

“It just simply allows us to consolidate programs and allow for more efficient services to individuals throughout the community,” Jurgens said.

Kubwayo has shared his experiences as a refugee with thousands of Sioux Falls teachers and students. He graduated from a Minnesota university and returned to Sioux Falls this year because he wants to help the community.

He wishes people could change their perceptions about refugees.

“You’re being overprotective, and that’s good, but at the same time, you’re neglecting the fact that you can change somebody’s life,” Kubwayo said. “We are not terrorists. We are not whatever they think we are. We are not coming here to take away your jobs.”