A board of position lawmakers on Monday just approved a$ 17 million boost in refugee companies funded by the federal government, with several , Republicans , taking the unusual step of airing proper objections to receiving the federal cash.
Then funded at about$ 41 million for the year, the income provides cash assistance, help service, English language training, vehicles to education and employment, and health screenings plans for newly arrived immigrants.  , Congress , just provided says more money for these plans in legislation passed in response to the Russian war of , Ukraine , and the Taliban’s takeover of , Afghanistan , after the , U. S.  , military removal.
The funds are available to refugees, Special Immigrant Visa holders ( including , thousands of translators who worked with , U. S.  , forces in , Iraq , and , Afghanistan ), Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, asylum seekers, and foreign-born victims of human trafficking.
” With the myriad of visas that you rattled off that people come here because of, we are dreaming if we think they’re coming here just for a better life”, said state Sen.  , Shane Wilkin, one of three , Republicans , to object to receiving the federal money.
Rachel Johanson, policy director for the , Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, could n’t provide lawmakers a precise estimate for how many refugees have been resettled in , Ohio. The federal government estimated that 4,100 people would travel this year and 4,600 will travel this year, but it’s difficult to determine what exactly because immigrants ‘ legal classifications can change or relocate within their states.
Three , Republicans , on the panel objected to receiving the funds. The Controlling Board, which reviews specific state contracts and distributes federal funds, had a rare opportunity to pass the legislation with a 4-3 vote.
GOP Reps.  , Jean Schmidt , and , Jay Edwards , both objected as well. Schmidt did so after repeatedly claiming cities like , Lockland, in , Hamilton County, are “overwhelmed”, citing , media reports , of a surge of refugees from the West African nation of , Mauritania , into the small town. Wilkin, in explaining his objection, noted that he recently visited the southern border in , Arizona, although the immigrants entitled to the federal funds at issue came to the , U. S.  , through legal ports of entry and not illegally over the border.
Johanson explained to some sceptical lawmakers that the money helps programs that stop refugees from becoming burdens for the state. She provided details like directions to work in English-language classes.
State and local officials have said an influx of legal Haitian migrants have strained local resources in , Springfield, Ohio. Temporary Protected Status residents and workers in the small town have increased. During the presidential campaign, President-elect , Donald Trump , and his vice-presidential running mate,  , U. S.  , Sen. JD Vance of , Ohio, broadcast false rumors about Haitian migrants stealing and eating their neighbor’s pets as they sought to make immigration a central focus of their campaign. Gov.  , Mike DeWine , has defended migrants in , Springfield, saying their addition to the work force has helped businesses in the area.
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