GLASGOW, Ky. – Refuge BG is planning to bring 30 new refugees to the city of Glasgow. However, some citizens are not too pleased about these possible new neighbors.
At Monday’s city council meeting, a group of protestors made their voices heard about why they think bringing these refugees in is a bad thing.
However, Refuge BG and city officials say this is simply not the case.
These refugees will have a new opportunity in a new community.
We want to give hope and change to some who came from another country… moving to Glasgow has been a great opportunity that God opened for us. We were able to find a way to work with different businesses and companies in Glasgow already, because they were welcoming and loving to bring more refugees to the world, because they see the value of everything… so we already have more people living, traveling from Bowling Green going to Glasgow… many, many times, Refuge BG director Daniel Tarnagda says.
One Glasgow native is excited for her community to experience a bit of international culture.
I think it would be a really big benefit for these people to come in and see hospitality and the American perspective from the American side, but also it would be a big benefit for Glasgow to see the international side of hospitality and to just have some different aspects of culture brought into it, Refuge BG’s Resettlement & Placement Coordinator RJ Baise says.
However, not everyone is too thrilled about these new residents. As those against the plan to bring refugees, made their voices heard during a city council meeting.
Their behavior was also very aggressive, which is unfortunate. I feel like that’s a very sad representation and really not a representation of Glasgow as a whole… it’s unfortunate that individuals have chosen to behave that way, but that’s not a reflection on us as an organization, nor on the city of Glasgow in general, Refuge BG administrator Alice Tardagna says.
Glasgow mayor Henry Royse couldn’t agree more.
People call them illegal immigrants… they are fully vetted. They’re not illegal. They’re legal immigrants. They have been in this country at least two years. They have been vetted by the State Department… we’ve just got to realize that we have no say, but we can open up the doors because we might get pretty good neighbors out of it, he says.
We also received a statement from Representative Steve Riley… he says Local residents want to make sure our community can support this relocation, and that they are aware of what impact it will have on our housing shortage, local workforce & schools. He says he’s hopeful the city council meeting and the concerns raised in it lead to more information and better communications between those at the state & city levels.
