Governor Gretchen Whitmer has notified the State Department and the Trump administration that Michigan will continue to welcome refugees for resettlement.
An executive order from the President calls on states and local governments to provide formal consent for future refugee resettlements. Governor Whitmer’s letter is a response to the presidential order signed in September.
Whitmer says her letter does not change any state policies when it comes to refugees.
“It just says that says Michigan is going to continue to be a place where we welcome people to come here and to make this their home.”
But refugee resettlements in Michigan have dropped dramatically since President Donald Trump took office. Governor Whitmer says the letter also signals that more refugees would be welcomed to the state, which has been a destination, in particular, for immigrants from Iraq and Syria.