'Where would America be without us?' A community of refugees is stunned by White House limits [View all]
The woman remembers when she first moved to the neighborhood more than 20 years ago, and the streets were full of empty storefronts and seemingly relentless poverty.
Today, Minneapolis Lake Street corridor is jammed with businesses, many owned by Somali refugees.
Look at what we did around here, said Nasra Hassan, a community health worker whose family came to Minneapolis fleeing Somalias civil war, speaking one day after the Trump administration slashed the number of refugees allowed into the United States. Because of us this place is thriving.
Minnesotas large Somali community was among the immigrant groups that helped revitalize the Lake Street corridor, which has long called out to newcomers to America. But scattered across the city are other communities and many other businesses built by refugees. They came to escape violence in Mexico, and war in Myanmar. Recent years have seen them arrive from the Congo and Ukraine.
Where would America be without us? Hassan asked.
The presidential order caps annual refugee admissions at 7,500, a decrease of more than 90% from last years ceiling of 125,000 and the lowest number since the program began in 1980.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-somalia-refugee-5ebb043e13023188cdd4e6baebd1f42c
And who he's prioritizing is ridiculous as well as racist!