Church Groups Collect $62 Million Resettling Somalis in Minnesota

AUTOMATED SUMMARY

Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services received at least $62 million in government funding to resettle Somali refugees in Minnesota, according to a New York Post report published October 16. The report says the groups placed an estimated 29,000 Somalis in the state since 1993, collecting about $2,500 per refugee.

A Catholic Charities Twin Cities spokesperson said that office closed its refugee and immigrant programs in 2018, while Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota did not respond to the Post's request for comment. Parker Thayer of the Capital Research Center said the money flowing into Minneapolis resettlement programs runs 'in the hundreds of millions.'

The report links the funding to the growth of Minnesota's Somali community, which now exceeds 100,000 people, and to the state's fraud scandals.

FACTS

01   A New York Post investigation found that Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services, now known as Global Refuge, collected a combined $62 million to resettle Somali refugees in Minnesota. THE SPECTATOR

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