Refugee resettlement limited to 3 North Dakota counties

BISMARCK, N.D. — Additional North Dakota counties won’t have to face a decision on whether to resettle more refugees, an issue that has drawn passionate responses on both sides of the issue.

Burleigh, Grand Forks and Cass counties have voted to accept additional refugees.

Lutheran Social Services, which handles all of North Dakota’s refugee resettlement cases, says it will not be asking for consent from any more North Dakota counties because it resettles refugees only in the state’s three most populous counties. A vice president for LSS, Shirley Dykshoorn, says the resettlement sites must meet criteria, including  affordable housing, employment opportunities and  access to public transportation.