Senator Tapio announces his intention to create a legislative working group to review state immigration and refugee resettlement programs.
Senator Neal Tapio, R-Watertown, today announced his intention to create a legislative working group to review state immigration and refugee resettlement programs and to analyze the financial and societal impact on state and local governments.
Following an intensive year-long listening tour on the impact of immigration and refugee resettlement on the Aberdeen community, Senator Tapio expressed concerns about the openness and transparency of the immigration and refugee resettlement programs and reemphasized his concern regarding the lack of state and local oversight of the Refugee Resettlement program in South Dakota.
“Currently, elected representatives of the people of South Dakota do not have any input or oversight of the federal refugee resettlement program.” Tapio, said. “These programs are impacting our communities and leaving their citizens in the dark. We need to know the detailed impact to our state and to our communities.”
Tapio said the working group will document the financial impact on law enforcement, courts and jails, health care and hospitals, education and schools, housing, language and translation services, and welfare benefits. The group intends to hold public hearings to gather public sentiment about these programs and to document the safety and other concerns of the community. Tapio also indicated his desire to establish the number of refugees a community can properly assimilate while keeping a community safe and fiscally viable.
“I look forward to working with a group of legislators to gather appropriate information in order to make sound decisions on behalf of the people. We will work with city, county, state and federal officials, as well as have listening sessions with concerned citizens and interested stakeholders in order to create a comprehensive and exhaustive analysis of the immigration and refugee programs.” Tapio said.
Tapio highlighted a pattern of improper oversight by the state of South Dakota over federal programs in the past. The current Refugee Resettlement program is just the latest installment of failing or failed federal programs administered by the state. Several years ago, the federal EB5 “sale of citizenship” program led to corruption, ongoing litigation and the death of a state official. The GearUp grant investigation uncovered improper state oversight of nongovernmental agencies tasked with implementing federal programs on behalf of the state, which led to criminal trials and to the death of a non government grant administrator and his family.
“Citizens are concerned the Refugee Resettlement program has led to more crime and increased costs to state and local taxpayers. We need to investigate these concerns before things gets out of control, not after it is too late.” Tapio said.
The legislative working group will be announced as early as Friday.
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“My re-election hinges on making and keeping you afraid of brown people.”
That is a false accusation designed to silence those who want to discuss this issue. This issue is not Muslim, it is the Muslim Brotherhood, who are as much a danger to moderate Muslim, if not more so than the non-Muslims.. I am certain The Jihadis of the Muslim Brotherhood are very happy you are doing their work.
The Muslim Brotherhood is in it with the aliens and gays. They’re building landing strips for BROWN GAY MARTIANS! I swear to God!
Will you take refugees into your home, Ike? Doubtful. You don’t have room, can’t afford too? Why not help Americans first and take in homeless people? Oh, that’s right you won’t. You claim they have drug problems and mental struggles, don’t want to risk your safety?
Put your money where your mouth is or at the very least give an argument worth discussing.
The hell are you even talking about? Nobody plans on putting refugees into anyone’s home. If they want to move them into the house next door to mine using my taxes and charitable contributions to help them get on their feet, then I’m all for it.
Something about giving me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
The hell are you even talking about? Nobody plans on putting refugees into anyone’s home.
The US of A is my home. Where exactly are they planning on putting them?
If they want to move them into the house next door to mine using my taxes
Only your taxes? Or money taken at the point of a gun from all the rest of us also?
Something about giving me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
That was before we had journalism schools and students majoring in Art History and Womyns Studies. We make our own poor huddled masses these days.
The USA is my home, too, and I welcome the immigrants and refugees. Now what?
I didn’t want my tax dollars spent on the Iraq war, but I still paid them. I don’t agree with that war, but as an American, I am obligated to pay my share to enjoy the rights so many fought and died for.
Visual Art degree here. I own a South Dakota business and employ a dozen of your neighbors and provide them with a good wage to support their families and communities. You want to help our own huddled masses? Quit cutting SNAP benefits and giving tax breaks to trust fund babies.
Are you a free-thinker, sounds like you’re just puking out Democratic talking points. Do. more. research.
Fire your employees and hire refugees, you’ll be out of business within months. Why do you think Dems are always saying we need refugees for “low-skilled” jobs? Because they are uneducated.
Have you seen the newest video of the French police officers being kicked and beaten by your best-buddy refugees? What kind of refugees do you think are being brought here? The nice ones?
Why would I fire my employees? That’s just silly – they’re trained, happy, and hard-working. Should I have an opening and a refugee is the most suitable candidate, I’d hire them no problem.
I have no idea whether there’s a document someplace that says, “Only send naughty refugees to South Dakota”, but I strongly suspect that no such document exists, or that refugees are any more naughty than your typical South Dakotan.
Once again, we have politicians who can’t seem to keep their eye on the ball or obfuscate issues for political gain.
1) Illegal immigration is a significantly bigger problem than legal immigration (is legal immigration really a problem?) and refugee resettlement.
2) To the extent legal immigration needs reform, it need to become merit based and away from the lottery.
Once again we have Troy Jones attacking another conservative Republican.
1) Read the GOP platform.
2) If you can’t support the GOP & President Trump? Be honest and go register as a Democrat.
Troy is not attacking anyone. He’s simply stating his opinion. I happen to agree with troy much more than Tapio.
Tapio needs to find MORE issues than just illegal or legal immigration if he wants to be our next Congressman.
I wholly support President Trump’s priorities on legal and illegal immigration and refugees.
I don’t appreciate noise which distracts from those priorities. Nothing gets done because we get caught up in items that are rounding errors compared to the big issues.
P.S. Why are you afraid to defend your guy with your name? I’m willing to state my view with my name.
Did the San Bernardino terrorists come to America legally?
Did the Jihadi who attempted to blow up people in the NYC subway come here legally?
I’m going with, we have a problem with legal immigration too.
What’s the trade off for resettling refugees? Are they working or living off the state? America is taking in 10’s of millions of people who are uneducated (low IQs), prone to violence, no history of freedoms, support bigger govt, are working on crashing the system, are coming from 3rd-world countries where Sharia Law is supported by significant amount of numbers. Priorities…no, nothing here to discuss./s
Keep talking Tapio.
Did Timothy McVeigh come to America legally? Did Stephen Paddock come here legally?
I’m going with, we have a problem with violence too.
Does Huron welcome the Karen immigrants? Employment rates for immigrants and refugees mirror the rates for native-born folks after about 10 years (how long would it take you and your family to learn a new language, customs, find housing, etc. and get FULLY on your feet in a new country ?) Most immigrants and refugees to the US aren’t looking to shake up anything, or crash any system. They see what we have and want to be a part of it. We have traditionally been somewhat unwelcoming to immigrants in the past (Irish? Italian? Chinese?), but they are accepted, welcomed, and dare I say – treated as REGULAR Americans after they acclimate and find that they do indeed have a home here. I will always welcome new neighbors, regardless of the color of their hide. To think they want anything more than you do is downright offensive – they’re just looking for a better life for their families. Hanging a ‘No Coloreds’ sign at the entrance to our state is NOT what a neighborly state like ours will ever be about.
Oh, and uneducated =/= “low IQ”.
Yes, Huron does welcome the Karen refugees. We’re glad they’re here. Huron has seen tremendous growth since they came.
Tell us about the Karen refugees. Do they support Sharia Law? I think they’re Buddhists, right? And, what percentage are Christian? You know, people not oppressive to women or the LGBT community.
Could they coexist with Muslims? Possible, but not probable. Good try though.
KM, your willingness to jump to conclusions and make determinations about whole groups of people without the facts is unfortunate. The Karen are predominately Baptists. I’m not aware that any are Muslims or Buddhists. I doubt they have any opinion at all on Sharia Law.
Be careful about Stephen Paddock. What have you heard about him? Pretty sure ISIS claimed him as one of their own. Did he visit mosques in AZ? How about when he went on cruises to the Middle East, think he may have been one of those “lone wolves”?
And, can we just say that McVeigh had mental issues? That’s what Dems say when they need an excuse, right?
Being a Visual Arts graduate, one my think you can use the internet with success. Tara has posted several links to help provide you with what your MSM neglects to tell you.
You think Stephen Paddock was an ISIS lone wolf? Dear me.
Also – MSM or Main Stream Media strikes me as being just that – Main Stream. I don’t care to delve into the backwater conspiracy slime that Tara and Lora slither around in, and by the same token, I don’t care to wallow in the Antifa acid bath either. As always, I believe the truth lies mostly within the main stream. You go fish where you like, though. Just don’t expect me to eat what you’re catching.
I am 100% in favor of Senator Tapio on this issue. The Mayors of these communities where there is an influx of legal/illegal need to be proactive by addressing and solving these issues before it is to late.
Fled,
To be clear, I think our Christianity calls us to be open to refugees (properly vetted of course) and thus supportive of Trump’s policies (not a wholesale closing of our shores to refugees).
That said, this is a great line: “That was before we had journalism schools and students majoring in Art History and Womyns Studies. We make our own poor huddled masses these days.”
You are right, we need proper vetting of anyone coming to the US. But, Tapio never said that we should shut our doors to refugees. He did say “his desire was to establish the number of refugees a community can properly assimilate while keeping a community safe and fiscally viable. I don’t see anything wrong with that and in fact it’s a very prudent thing to do.
No matter how many times you repeat that quote, people who don’t want to see the truth, won’t. Many Dems/Liberals just make up their own truth and that can change day-to-day.
We love immigration…legal immigration and with that assimilation.
I don’t know Tapio from Adam, but my impression was that he said what Anonymous 1:38 said, which I agree with.
I also feel that my Christianity calls me to be supportive with my money. This is different from the liberal approach me me insisting that you use your money to do so.
Assessing carrying capacity, as Mr. Tapio seems to be advocating, is key. If we bring in so many as to turn our country into a copy of the third world cesspool that they escaped we’re not really helping them but we are hurting those who currently (legally) live here.
Populist drum beating. Absolutely nothing can be achieved by this group other than scaring people into thinking that anyone other than white immigrants are terrorists looking to sponge off the government. Do they think some little committee is going to make the feds change their policy and slam the door to immigrants to our state? Nobody is going to participate other than legislators.
It’s so blatantly self serving and a giant waste of time where it should be used to address big problems during session!
Once they quit coming in whose going to milk the cows and clean out the pig yards.Maybe Kristi has time she is coming home.It will be huge.
she’ll have time every year before her december budget address and after the final legislative vetoes she will issue.
hmmm a hot-button emotional political attention-grab, coupled with a planned run for national office. how unique. how conveeeeeeeeeenient.