El Paso County Commissioners: Refugees must be ‘certified’ as not dangerous to be accepted
The Board of El Paso County Commissioners has approved a Resolution opposing the relocation of refugees to the county unless each one is fully vetted and certified not dangerous by the federal government.
The resolution specifies that El Paso County intends, “to refuse to expend funds provided to El Paso County by the federal government and by the State of Colorado related to the United States Refugee Resettlement Program unless the refugees are certified by the federal government under existing procedures to not be a threat to the citizens of El Paso County.”
County Commissioner Darryl Glenn said the Resolution isn’t about keeping refugees out, it’s about ensuring the safety of the citizens who live in the county.
“We are a freedom-loving country and we want to lovingly accept them, but we have to make sure they are safe so we ensure the security in our community,” Glenn said.
The Resolution, approved during the Tuesday November 24 BoCC meeting, further states, “The Board is concerned about the considerable financial burdens created by the refugees on our local schools, law enforcement, and community services, as an additional unfunded mandate imposed upon the community during uncertain economic times in which the County budget and other governmental entities and agencies are already experiencing financial stressors.”
Through the Resolution Commissioners indicate that they understand, “the desire for persons to seek freedom and to share in all that is good and positive in the American way of life. (But) the risk to our local citizens in times of global terrorism and economic insecurity cannot be overlooked, and it is necessary for the Board to protect the health, safety, security, and welfare of the citizens of the County by declaring its opposition to the relocation of refugees from the United States Resettlement Program into El Paso County until and unless the refugee is determined by existing immigration procedures to not be a threat by the federal government.”
The item came before the Board as an added agenda item at the request of Commissioner Darryl Glenn.
