St. Croix Co. Board passes resolutions on refugee resettlement

ST. CROIX COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - Tonight the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors joined other local governments in taking action regarding refugee resettlement in the Chippewa Valley by voting on three resolutions.

The first resolution voted on tonight was in support of Senate Bill 916, which seeks to improve how local governments are notified about plans to resettle refugees.

The bill would require every city, village, town, county and school district within 100 miles of the proposed resettlement site to choose a representative for consultation with the federal government or resettlement agency.

The second resolution was in support of the CARE Act, proposed by Congressman Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden. The CARE Act would empower state and local governments to reject federal refugee resettlements.

The third resolution voted on tonight requested an immediate pause on refugee resettlement in St. Croix County.

All three resolutions were met with both support and opposition from board supervisors.

Cathy Leaf, representing District 4, said, “I’m opposed to this because the prospect of us deciding who can come here and who can’t, in front of government bodies, such as a board that changes consistently... it’s not who we are, as people in St. Croix county.”

Greg Tellijohn, representing District 14, said, “...I’m doing what’s right for my constituents.”

There were no public comments at tonight’s meeting.

All three resolutions passed by a margin of seven or more votes.