Tiffany Demands Transparency, Public Input on Marathon County Refugee Resettlement Plans
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) sent a letter to Bojana Zoric Martinez, the Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs for the Evers administration, calling for transparency and opportunities for public input on reported plans to resettle refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine in Marathon County between now and January 20th – the day President-elect Trump will be sworn into office. This comes after constituents expressed concerns to Rep. Tiffany about the significant refugee resettlement scheme underway.
“Earlier this year, I wrote to you sharing similar concerns in connection with a planned resettlement in the Chippewa Valley. Then, like now, little if any effort appears to have been made to reach out directly to the public, or to analyze the potential strains it may place on local schools, public health infrastructure, housing availability, or social services,” Tiffany wrote. “This disturbing pattern of behavior appears designed to deliberately keep the residents most likely to be harmed out of the loop and in the dark. It also runs counter to the intent of federal laws that require coordination on these matters.”
“Ms. Martinez, local communities deserve a meaningful say in the resettlement process. They deserve transparency regarding who is coming, where they are coming from, and a detailed assessment about what it might mean for their neighborhoods, classrooms, emergency services, social safety net programs, and pocketbooks,” Tiffany added.
“I hope you will consider taking steps to expand the public dialogue to ensure that Wisconsinites have the final word on what happens in their towns, and that you will be forthcoming about this and other proposed resettlement plans that may be under development or consideration,” Tiffany concluded.
You may read the full letter here.
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