Iowa State Government Encouraging Refugee and Migrant Resettlement 

As a native Iowan who was born and raised in the State and as a supporter of refugees and immigrants, I was pleasantly surprised to learn from an article in the New York Times that Iowa’s state government has adopted and is implementing various programs to encourage these people’s resettlement in the State. [1] These conclusions were corroborated by that article and the  preliminary research cited in this post.

The Iowa State Government has programs encouraging resettlement in the State by refugees and other migrants. The state’s “Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, and the state’s Department of Health and Human Services recently announced a program that supports refugees from around the world with a focus on Afghan people in particular. That includes providing grants to organizations that enhanced ‘community integration, English proficiency, digital literacy, banking and financial planning, transportation, health and wellness, services for older refugees and youth supports.” [2]

This effort is driven, in part, by Iowa’s need for more workers. “Iowa alone has over 75,000 job openings . . .[that] are depleting the state’s ability to meet growing manufacturing and service demands. Businesses are begging for workers at local economic development meetings. Employers are struggling particularly with shortages in key mid-skill industries, like health care, information and technology and tourism and hospitality.”

This article commends the following proposed immigration programs for Iowa:

• Federal authorization of states to devise guest-worker programs under the auspices of the federal government (Department of Homeland Security) and state governments along the lines of a bill offered by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (Rep., WI).
• The U.S. and other countries could establish bilateral immigration agreements that “would allow U.S. employers to train workers to obtain valuable skills . . . either in the United States or abroad, and then workers could come to the U.S. states that need them.”
• Like the State of Washington, revise Iowa’s licensing laws to create a limited license for foreign medical graduates.

One of the authors of this article is Iowan David Oman, who was chief of staff for Iowa Republican governors Robert D. Ray (1969-83) and Terry Branstad (1983-99 & 2011-17) as well as Chair of the Iowa Republican Party (1995-1993) and the 1998 Republican gubernatorial candidate for Iowa . Other authors are Iowan Robert Leonard, the news director of two Iowa radio stations, and Kristie DePena, the vice president for policy and the director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center in Washington, D.C. and the holder of a J.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.[3]

Niskanen Center[4]

The Niskanen Center asserts that it believes, “Immigration policy is not just about how we treat others; it has direct implications for Americans. Done well, immigration policy reform can protect family values, strengthen national security, reduce unemployment, spur innovation, stimulate competition, increase public safety, enhance the U.S. economy, reinforce international relations, and help those most in need. Evidence consistently shows that innovation and entrepreneurship are good for America. Supporting legal immigration through refugee resettlement programs like DACA, green cards, and more is fundamental to our success as a nation; and our humanitarian policies are a cornerstone of our nation. But, perhaps most importantly, we believe that with very few exceptions, the immigrants coming to America do so for the right reasons, and we benefit by welcoming them.” More specifically, the Center focuses on the following areas of U.S. immigration policy reform:

1. “Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
2. “Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”
3. “Enhancing domestic and international security and diplomacy through soft power and national security pathways.”
4. “Repairing our immigration adjudication system by creating independent courts and reforming the criminalization and prosecution of immigrants in the states.”
5. “Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
6. “Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”
7. “Enhancing domestic and international security and diplomacy through soft power and national security pathways.”
8. “Repairing our immigration adjudication system by creating independent courts and reforming the criminalization and prosecution of immigrants in the states.”
9. “Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
10. “Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”

Reactions

Congratulations to the government of the State of Iowa for this strong support for refugees and other immigrants.

However, the authors of this article fail to recognize the powerful resistance to immigration efforts in the U.S. Senate by Iowa’s senior U.S. Senator, Republican Charles Grassley. For example, in the last session of Congress Grassley blocked the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would have prevented Afghan evacuees in the U.S. from being stranded without legal residency status when their humanitarian paroles expire in August 2023 and would have allowed them to apply for U.S. citizenship. [5]

The citizens of  Iowa need to press Grassley to reverse course and immediately press for passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act and to take other steps to encourage resettlement of  immigrants in the State.

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[1]  Over 75,000 Job Openings in Iowa Alone. Millions of Refugees Seeking Work. Make the Connection, N.Y. Times (Feb.2, 2023)..

[2] See n.1; Iowa HHS Expands Support for Refugees; Announces RFP to provide wraparound supports, and other key initiatives (Jan. 6, 2023); Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Iowa HHS Expands Support for Refugees; (Jan. 6, 2023); Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources; Afghanistan Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Ukraine Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Venezuelan Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, History of the Bureau of Refugee Services; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Frequently Asked Questions.

[3]  David Oman, Iowa Capital Dispatch.

[4] Niskanen Center, Our Mission; Niskanen Center, Immigration: What We Believe; Niskanen Center Annual Report 2022.

[5] Amiri (AP), Afghan refugees’ status uncertain after U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley blocks residency bill, Des Moines Register (Dec. 30, 2022). See also these posts to dwkcommentaries.com: Need To Prod Congress To Enact the Afghan Adjustment Act (Dec. 17, 2022); Apparent Failure To Enact Bipartisan Immigration Bills (Dec. 18, 2022); Comment: Retired U.S. Military Leaders Support Afghan Adjustment Act (Dec. 19, 2022); Congress Fails To Adopt Important Immigration Legislation (Dec. 28, 2022); Comment: Other Reactions to Failure To Adopt Immigration Legislation (Dec.31, 2022).