Hey! Spring is In the Air! What Does That Mean Dunn County?!?
Green Grass, Flowers, Longer Days, More Sun and Spring Election Day which includes a Referendum-Yay!! A Follow Up on Last Month's Dunn County Board Meeting in Regards to the Refugee Resettlement.
I always get excited when I see the brown grass change to a beautiful green hue which is one of the first signs Spring is upon us. Of course, you really know when Spring is here when you start seeing beautiful blooming flowers sprucing up in the parks and yards. And it is that time of the season to look forward to those longer days to enjoy a leisurely walk after dinner when the sun is still shining upon the landscape. Nothing like being able to enjoy the warmth and rays of the sun a little bit longer : ) So much to soak in when we are in awe of the change of season from Winter to Spring in Wisconsin. But, one thing doesn’t change. Every Spring we have the opportunity to vote in our Wisconsin Spring Election. It is time to vote for our local offices of City Council in which being 2025, this means odd Wards are up for election along with Township Boards. Then you have various School Board Districts in Dunn County up for election. At the state level, Court of Appeals District 3 Judge, Superintendent of Public Instruction along with the Wisconsin Justice of Supreme Court will be on the ballot. These are some pretty important races that need your attention, research and vote. There will also be a referendum on the bottom of the ballot for Wisconsinites to vote either a “Yes” or a “No”. Below, please find the exact wording of how the referendum will be on the ballot.
State of Wisconsin Referendum
Vote for one
Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?
Yes
No
To be “created” meaning this will be added to the Wisconsin Constitution “to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election.” It is currently a Wisconsin Law and is being pushed to place it in the Wisconsin Constitution. Also, if passed this will give the Legislature the authority to determine which types of ID qualify as acceptable. Current law includes state issued driver’s licenses and photo IDs, U.S. Passports, military IDs and unexpired university ID. Remember, that students with expired university ID are still allowed to vote if they have proof of current enrollment by providing a tuition receipt or course schedule. Think about this for a moment. It is required to provide a photo ID to get liquor at the liquor store, to get cigarettes or tobacco, open a checking account, apply for food stamps, apply for welfare, apply for Medicaid and Social Security, to rent or buy a car, to rent or buy a house, to fly the friendly skies on a commercial plane, to get your marriage license, to purchase a gun, apply for a hunting and or fishing license, and to apply for unemployment benefits. And the list goes on and on. So why on earth would it become a bad thing to provide photo ID to vote in our local, state and federal elections?!? I do not think you want someone to impersonate you at the polls and disenfranchise your vote. An ID without a picture of you can make it easier to do just that. Identity theft has been a concern in many different applications to obtain many different things in the world we live in. In the world of our election process is no different. We need the highest regard to ensure that YOUR vote truly is YOUR vote! After reading this I think you know where I stand in regards to validation of your identity by providing a photo ID when checking in at your polling place. It is called common sense.
Last month on the 3rd Wednesday in February I was able to observe Dunn County Board of Supervisors meeting at the Government Center in Menomonie, WI. Item number 11 on the Agenda pertained to the Refugee Resettlement that was on the radar of residence in Western Wisconsin back in October of 2023. Supervisor Luke Wilsey representing District 8 formerly requested to have the topic dug into further. Chairman Kelly McCullough from District 17 assigned the task to Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. Diane Morehouse representing District 21 chairs HHS. Her presentation of her findings is quite extensive so I will summarize important points in her presentation she gave to the County Board in the room and via zoom. To begin, she identified the Refugee Resettlement program as authorized by federal law which is called, “Refugee Act of 1980” to be found in the federal code 8 USC 1522. She addressed to the county board that “according to the United Nations (UN) is the selection and transfer of Refugees from a country from which individuals have sought protection to a country of resettlement. The goal is to protect the refugees from forced return to provide them with some rights and a path to citizenship.” She continues that “applicants have to register to be later viewed and are assigned to a country. Then scrutinizes the applicant with interviews, a medical screening, and a security clearance. The applicant is then assigned to a local Non-Government Organization (NGO) which determines where refugees will be placed and relocated.” The NGO which has an office in Eau Claire and is behind having refugees resettle within a hundred mile radius of Eau Claire is World Relief. She mentioned that “while there really isn’t a standing committee with this, it’s purview , HHS would be likely to have some involvement with this issue in the unlikely instance of refugees being settled in Dunn County.” She stated that she “put this request on our November 21st, 2024 HHS Agenda” which “was placed as a discussion item not an action item as we had not received any proposal or resolution on which to act.” I did some digging and found the HHS Agenda from November 21st, 2024 which pertained to the Refugee Resettlement as follows:
6) Item Placed at the Request of Supervisor Wilsey/Chair McCullough: Refugee Resolution
7) Item Placed at the Request of Chair: Corporation Counsel Review of US Code and Case Law Addressing Refuge Settlement
She addressed that the “County Clerk had earlier received 343 vetted signatures in support of a resolution to put a moratorium on Refugee Resettlement but no such resolution had been submitted.” She added, “the meeting was duly noticed” in which “five persons providing in-person public comments and one email” in which “all were in favor of doing something about Refugee Resettlement in the County of pausing or stopping.” She did not specify about why the pause needed to occur. It was about a pause to implement a study to find out if we have the resources such as housing, healthcare, education, interpreters and any other resources to help the refugees to thrive in the community. We did have a Dunn County Housing study done back in 2023 which there was concern for lack of affordable housing as well as shortage of housing, not to mention, the housing study showed the need for transitional housing as well as ways to support our aging population. If we had a housing study to find what is needed to define adequate housing for residents in Dunn County, it just makes sense to have a economic impact study to ensure to meet the needs of refugees coming into Dunn County. It is all about being proactive.
Diane readdressed Chair McCullough’s memorandum which states, “Dunn County has no authority over the federally controlled issue of immigration and Refugee Resettlement. Immigration and naturalization fall within the enumerated powers of the federal government. Not only do Counties have no authority, in this situation, this is a clear constitutional separation of powers issue between the federal government and the states.” She reached out to Assistant Corporation Council, Barbara Fagan to find out her take on the issue. Here is what Barbara Fagan states on a memo she prepared in regards to the refugee resettlement, “Local county ordinances cannot supersede federal law therefore, any resolution limiting number requirements or placement of refugees is non-binding.” Barbara Fagan continues in her memo that “Federal Code 1522 requires the federal government to consult with the state and local governments and there are local considerations for the availability of local resources notably, there is nothing in 1522 that allows a local government to have veto authority on resettlement. Diane Morehouse emphasizes “this lack of veto authority has a firm basis in the constitution, the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause,” is that federal law is “The Supreme Law of the Land.”
Diane explained that “several executive orders and other laws that have tried to limit the number of refugees allowed or which grants veto authority to local governments have been struck down as unconstitutional.” Diane also “consulted with the Eau Claire Corporation Council. A resolution in December 23rd, 2023 was presented before the Eau Claire Board mandating that an economic impact study be conducted before any Refugee Resettlement in Eau Claire County which failed on a vote of 18 to 9. Corporation Council there cited the same federal code and case law cited by Barbara Fagan, noting that the federal law had to consult with local government and may receive funding from the federal government for services provided.” Once again, they forget to mention the funding by the federal government given to World Relief is only for the first 90 days upon their arrival. After the 90 days it is upon the local community partners, such as churches and local government as well as volunteers to support refugees in the community.
Corporation Council in St. Croix County, Heather Amos made a statement as follows, “Refugees could be resettled in Eau Claire tomorrow and this resolution would not have any teeth to do anything about it.” Diane mentioned “A question was also raised about whether those issues of Refugee Resettlement would be more appropriately addressed by a referendum.” According to a memorandum from assistant Corporation Council, Barbara Fagan states, “The County cannot bring a referendum to the ballot on the Refugee Resettlement issue under Wisconsin Statue section 59.5 to sub. 25. The board may not conduct a referendum for advisory purposes.” Diane explained that “This was state law in response to our Medicare for all referendum which was the last one passed in Wisconsin.” She then addressed another question which was asked “pursuing a resolution here in the County and the answer is yes, a resolution could come forward, it can come forward as a resolution from one of the supervisors proposing specific language and asking that the resolution come before the county board as the Supremacy Clause limits the ability of local governments to curtail the action of the federal government. Any resolution brought to the county board attempting to restrict the federal government in structuring resettlements would not be binding.”
I looked at the Refugee Act of 1980 and mentioned that in 8 USC 1522: Authorization for programs for domestic resettlement of and assistance to refugees in which text contains those laws in effect on March 23, 2025. Meaning, I will be doing a deep dive on those laws that came into effect on March 23rd, 2025 which occurred from the incoming administration. That is for another day.
I did find under globalrefuge.org the following:
What is the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program? “The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), formalized by the Refugee Act of 1980, is a public- private partnership between the federal government, states and localities, and nonprofit partners to vet, process, resettle, and support arriving refugees.” I freak out whenever I see the words public private partnership because it is the buzz word tied into Agenda 2030. Here are some more interesting facts pertaining to the Executive Order Refugee Resettlement on January 2025 from globalrefuge.org:
What is the EO that Trump signed on resettlement? What does it do? “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program” is an executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025. The EO indefinitely suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on January 27 at 12:01 A.M. Eastern. After that time, refugees will not be admitted or resettled into the country except in case-by-case exceptions. No decisions on refugee applications will occur during the suspension.
How long will refugee admissions be suspended under this EO? The USRAP suspension is indefinite. Within 90 days of the January 20 executive order, the Secretaries of Homeland Security (DHS) and State will submit a report through the Homeland Security Advisor to the President to advise on whether a resumption of refugee arrivals is in the national interest. The Secretaries of Homeland Security and State will continue submitting reports on a potential USRAP resumption every 90 days until the President determines a resumption is in the national interest.
What will determine if the program is resumed?
Section 2 of the order says U.S. policy on refugees must:
• Ensure the public safety and national security of the United States.
• Only admit refugees who can “fully and appropriately assimilate” into the country.
• Ensure that U.S. taxpayer resources are preserved.
• Grant state and local jurisdictions a role in the process of determining refugee placement and resettlement.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, must weigh these factors in their recommendation to the President through the Homeland Security Advisor that USRAP admissions be resumed.
Lots to absorb here. Many interesting new factors coming into play with U.S. Refugee Resettlement Admission Program which was formalized by the Refugee Act of 1980.
From one Dunn County Neighbor to Another - Think - Ponder - Pray!
Laurie J. Christianson
