North Dakota County May Become US's 1st to Bar New Refugees
By Associated Press
December 08, 2019 05:39 PM
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA - Reuben Panchol was forced to leave war-torn Sudan decades ago as a child, embarking on an odyssey that eventually brought him to the American Midwest and left him eternally grateful to the country that took him in.
"I am an American citizen, a North Dakotan," said Panchol, a 38-year-old father of four. "And without North Dakota, I couldn't have made it."
Panchol hopes to share his story on Monday with members of a local commission who are set to vote on whether their county will stop accepting refugees. If they vote to bar refugees, as expected, Burleigh County — home to about 95,000 people and the capital city of Bismarck — could become the first local government to do so since President Donald Trump issued an executive order making it possible.
https://www.voanews.com/usa/immigration/north-dakota-county-may-become-uss-1st-bar-new-refugees