State Department approves Rutland, VT as new home for refugees

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program Director Amila Merdzanovic, left, and Stacie Blake, director of government and community relations at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, speak at a meeting in Rutland. File photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger

Our neighbors, Rutland,VT has been selected as a resettlement site for 100 Syrian and Iraqi refugees, according to a State Department spokesperson. The announcement comes after five months of heated debate over whether this small city has the capacity to take in refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East.

“I’m delighted that the Department of State has the faith in our community to be a host city for refugee resettlement,” said Mayor Chris Louras after the announcement Wednesday. “We understand it’s not going to be easy, that there will be challenges, but this community is at its very best when it rises to the challenge.”
Stacie Blake, director of government and community relations for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, said she believes the first families will arrive in mid-December or early January. Blake said USCRI will open an office in Rutland and have two full-time staff members. Staff will undergo an intensive training process that includes working in the agency’s Colchester office, Blake said.
A State Department spokesperson said that although the proposal for 100 refugees has been approved, the number is subject to change. Once refugees arrive in the United States they are free to live wherever they choose.
Since Louras announced in late April that Rutland was being considered for refugee resettlement, he has been sharply criticized for a lack of transparency during the application process. The Board of Aldermen formally withheld support of the program and had the city attorney investigate whether the mayor’s actions violated the city charter. The city attorney, whose report was released last week, found that he did not.
Blake said the agency pursued Rutland as a resettlement site because of the housing and employment opportunities as well as the robust volunteer effort to welcome refugees.
“From the beginning we’ve been overwhelmed by the depth and expression of volunteer support to welcome refugees, and we look forward to working with the community when it’s time for families to arrive,” Blake said.
The mayor also expressed faith in the community.
“Now that we have a resolution from the Department of State, I know that the community will come together,” said Louras. “And the divisiveness that we’ve experienced will abate.”