Koochiching County’s Board of Commissioners taking no immediate action on whether to accept refugees seeking resettlement.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring local governments to make a decision by June before it was quashed by a federal court.
The Board this week went ahead with a meeting which brought mixed feelings to the floor.
One resident felt the County may never see refugees settling in the area sees agreeing to the idea as a symbolic gesture.
“To vote yes for resettlement is basically say to the world, to tourism and economic development, to our county as a whole we are a welcoming population.”
Others expressed concern about the resources available to support refugees.
“We don’t have the resources. We don’t have what we need to welcome people. As much as we would like to welcome people, we’re not equipped to do that,” said another woman.
Others voiced concern about the type of people who come to the area.
Until the court order, twenty-four other Minnesota Counties had voted with 23 agreeing to accept refugees.
Beltrami County, which includes the city of Bemidji, is the only Minnesota county to vote against the idea.
