Resolution to Offer Consent to Initial Refugee Resettlement in Ottawa County

RESOLUTION
At a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners (“BOC”) of the County of Ottawa, Michigan, held at the Fillmore Street Complex in the Township of Olive, Michigan on the 28th day of January, 2020 at 1:30 o’clock p.m. local time.

PRESENT: Joseph Baumann, Francisco Garcia, Randall Meppelink, James Holtvluwer, Gregory DeJong, Douglas Zylstra, Kyle Terpstra, Philip Kuyers, Allen Dannenberg, Matthew Fenske, Roger Bergman.

It was moved by Commissioner Douglas Zylstra and supported that the following Resolution be adopted:

WHEREAS, in Executive Order 13888 (“EO 13888”), the President of the United States has issued an Executive Order urging States and Local Governments to cooperate with the United States Government in relocating initial refugees, deemed to be appropriately entering the Country as true refugees as determined by the United States Government pursuant to federal law (“Adjudicated Refugees”);

WHEREAS, EO 13888 delegates to the Secretary of State the authority to determine a process for obtaining local governmental consent for the United States to relocate Adjudicated Refugees, and the Secretary of State has developed a process requesting the chief administrative officer in each county to issue a letter providing that county’s consent;

WHEREAS, the BOC finds that cities, townships and villages within Ottawa County are the local governmental units in Ottawa County and does not wish to usurp their authority, if any, under the EO 13888, but at the same time wishes to cooperate with the President and Secretary of State in the process that the latter has developed and to offer the County consent that the President and Secretary of State is soliciting for Adjudicated Refugees;

WHEREAS, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland has enjoined President Trump and his Administration from implementing EO 13888 to impede refugee resettlement in HIAS, INC. v. Donald Trump, et al, Civil No. PJM 19-3346 but that injunction does not restrict the ability of Localities to facilitate the settlement of Adjudicated Refugees under EO 13888 and in the event the injunction is lifted, the BOC does not want to see the established Adjudicated Refugee program in Ottawa County disrupted and wishes to support the President’s objectives of obtaining local support for
such programs;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that to the extent that the federal courts lift the injunction against the enforcement of EO 13888, and President Trump and the Secretary of State of the United States are looking for cooperation and consent from Ottawa County under EO 13888 for resettlement of Adjudicated Refugees as determined by the Administration in Ottawa County, the BOC directs the Ottawa County Administrator to sign and send the letter attached as Exhibit A;

BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED that to the extent that EO 13888 is deferring to the consent of local units of government in Ottawa County, which are its townships, villages and cities, Ottawa County defers to the decisions of such local units of government in Ottawa County pursuant to EO 13888;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all resolutions and parts of resolutions insofar as they conflict with this Resolution are hereby repealed.

YEAS: Yeas: Joseph Baumann, Francisco Garcia, Randall Meppelink, James Holtvluwer, Gregory DeJong, Douglas Zylstra, Kyle Terpstra, Philip Kuyers, Allen Dannenberg, Matthew Fenske, Roger Bergman.
NAYS: None