St. Croix County Board pauses refugee resettlement

HUDSON, Wis. -- St. Croix County elected officials on Tuesday voted 15-4 to pause refugee resettlement, following months of controversy over plans by nonprofit World Relief to bring 75 refugees into the Chippewa Valley this year.

The Board of Supervisors approved a last-minute amendment to review the pause in May 2026.

“We have so many people that are struggling to make ends meet. … We don’t have breathing room to be able to help others at this time,” County Supervisor Paul Berning said. Asking for a pause is not racist or xenophobic, he said, but rather “being good stewards for our area, for our taxpayers.”

Berning added that once the area is in a better spot with inflation, unaffordable housing and other problems, St. Croix County can “welcome them in and help them assimilate into this country and become Americans.”

World Relief told the Star Tribune it has no plans to bring the refugees into St. Croix County; rather, it plans to resettle them in Eau Claire. But some counties within 100 miles of World Relief’s new Eau Claire office are looking to reject refugee resettlement out of concern that it could expand into their jurisdictions. Federal law oversees the process but requires nonprofits to consult with local and state governments.

Critics say they were not given sufficient notice or control over the plans after Eau Claire City Manager Stephanie Hirsch reached out to World Relief in March 2023 about locating there. The plans became public six months later, after the federal government granted approval. Residents packed meetings and protested. The Eau Claire City Council voted to welcome the newcomers, and a resolution at the county level to pause the plans failed. Chippewa County recently voted to pause refugee resettlement.

After some debate about amendments, Supervisor Cathy Leaf noted that St. Croix County doesn’t have jurisdiction over pausing refugee resettlement.

“The resettlement could still continue because this is not our purview, so we’re doing all these calisthenics for a symbolic resolution, right?” she asked the board attorney.

“That is correct,” the attorney replied.

Residents filled the main chambers and overflow rooms, as they have in recent meetings featuring hours of public comment. Some shook their heads and snickered when one supervisor recited the famous quote on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Supervisors repeatedly noted that refugees are approved to come here legally and unrelated to the crisis at the border.

“I think that our country was built in part from refugees who were seeking freedom from persecution,” said Supervisor Carah Koch. “Many of our ancestors came as a refugee here.

“Please don’t diminish our role in the world as a country of opportunity, of freedom, that welcomes people who are looking for a better life,” Koch said.

Supervisors also voted in support of a Wisconsin legislative bill that would require far more extensive notification of local governments if an official contacts or is contacted by a resettlement agency about bringing in refugees. They approved a third resolution endorsing a proposal by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican of western Wisconsin, to bar resettlement in any locality that takes legislative or executive action to disapprove it.

“When we believe that the federal government has our back at the local level, we are mistaken,” said County Supervisor Lisa Lind, who supported all three resolutions. “We as a body are responsible to our constituents to be the wall that says, ‘You know what, we need a little bit more teeth, we need a little bit more accountability.”

“We are elected into these chairs to do what’s right for this county, and this is right for this county,” Lind said.