Local Refugees Relocation Plans are Going to Chill for a Bit as More Education and Support are Needed
Glasgow, a small city in the heart of Kentucky, has been buzzing with important discussions surrounding the plan of welcoming 30 refugees into their community. However, the plans are going to ease up a bit in speed. Back in the day, a nonprofit from Bowling Green called Refuge Bowling Green was brought on board to help with the process by the US Department of State.
Immediately, wild stories started to fly around Glasgow and Barren County about the refugees. This led to a bunch of public meetings where folks showed up to share their thoughts and worries about the whole situation. Local bigwigs, including Mayor Henry Royse and Judge Executive Jamie Bewley-Byrd, listened and tried their best to address these concerns.
Originally, the plan was to have these folks settled into their new Glasgow life by September 30. But a recent letter from Refuge Bowling Green to Mayor Royse said they’re planning to slow things down. They felt it was important to create a warm and well-informed community atmosphere before bringing these newcomers in.
The letter emphasized that though the final decision lies with the US Department of State, they will keep working hard to make Glasgow/Barren County a friendly and safe place for newcomers, including refugees and immigrants.
Now, this issue first popped up during a Glasgow City Council meeting, even though the city or the county weren’t actually involved in the relocation. Then, at the July 8 meeting of the Barren County Fiscal Court, Matthew Stevens and Alice Tarnagda from Refuge Bowling Green cleared up some misunderstandings. They emphasized that although they do not have detailed information about each of the refugees, all the refugees had been thoroughly checked out to ensure they posed no security threat.
But despite all this, there was still some skepticism and opposition. People wondered why Barren County was chosen, and some shared concerns about potential strain on local resources. On the bright side, many residents also showed compassion and a willingness to help the newcomers.
In a recent statement, Mayor Henry Royse said that the whole point of putting the brakes on this process was to let the community learn more about what Refuge Bowling Green does. “My hope is that by slowing the process down, people can understand what is being proposed and what the true implications are for the community,” he said, “because right now, people are operating from a place of lots of opinions and very few facts.”
While Refuge Bowling Green hasn’t had much more to add yet at this time, we know that they remain dedicated to helping refugees start a better, safer life here in the US. In fact, they have been pretty busy providing help with language barriers, basic needs like driver’s licenses, and even working on the complex social challenges that might come with being a refugee family.
Among other initiatives, Refuge Bowling Green is also running a Soccer Club. This is their fun way to build a sense of community amongst the refugees, and perhaps, foster a spirit of inclusion and acceptance in the wider community.
