Noem: South Dakota open to additional refugees in 2020

Gov. Kristi Noem has notified the Trump administration that South Dakota will continue to accept refugees who are resettled in the United States next year.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order recently that allows states and local governments to opt out of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. Before that, the federal government was only required to consult with states.

Noem’s consent ends on Dec. 31, 2020, and she said she reserves the right to withdraw that consent. Local governments in the state can also opt out.

The resettlement program will handle a maximum of 18,000 refugees next year after Trump cut the current cap of 30,000.

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