Kansas

From time to time I’ve posted stories on refugee resettlement offices closing due to the fact that fewer refugees (aka paying clients) are now arriving in the US (see post yesterday with latest numbers), but I don’t post all of them.

This one caught my eye because I have written many times over the years about Garden City, Kansas and its Tyson Foods plant that has attracted cheap immigrant labor for years.

Rarely do you see such a direct connection drawn between “slaughterhouse” jobs and the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

This time it is the giant International Rescue Committee closing its doors in GC, while its CEO (a British national based in Manhattan) pulls down a salary in excess of $600,000 a year (here).

Changing the heartland, one meatpacker at a time should be the USRAP’s motto!

 Topeka — Opposing sides in the debate over illegal immigration agree on one thing: When the 2013 Kansas Legislature convenes in January, there will be renewed attempts to tackle the politically explosive issue.

“There will be some action taken on immigration,” said Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has become a national figure in passing laws in various states that crack down on illegal immigration.

“We don’t know what kind of crazy thing he (Kobach) is going to throw at us,” said Sulma Arias, who is executive director of Sunflower Community Action, a Wichita-based nonprofit organization.

While Kobach has succeeded in pushing aggressive measures in states such as Arizona and Alabama, he has not been successful in his home state.