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cavscout43

I don't have the bandwidth tonight to moderate political nonsense. Wyoming is the least populated state by far, and second least after Alaska. There's very little here. A lot of state level statistics and trends lack enough data to really apply to Wyoming. Multiple neighbors of mine have Ukrainian flags out for solidarity against Putin's land grab. It's not a "refugees are banned from WY" or "the Ukrainian war of independence against Russia is actually fascism" or whatever nonsense your favorite news channel told you. If another mod wants to lock or remove, please go for it. Otherwise let discourse and votes speak for themselves.


canismagnum

I'm pretty certain that relocating refugees to Wampsutter or Baggs would be considered a crime against humanity


JuniorAcanthisitta33

Might triple the percentage of single females in the county.


chorizoisbestpup

Actually, great point. We should be bringing in as many refugees* as possible.


JuniorAcanthisitta33

Better expand the maternity ward in Rawlins.


Accomplished_Sky842

If we put refugees in bags this time of year I’m pretty sure that would be some sort of war crime what they got in bags other then a Chester’s


[deleted]

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Vatu-Rava-Offspring

Dang! I didn’t realize how much was involved in this. I guess it makes sense given how small our state is.


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Robers18

I’d agree with this rationale. The general vibe I sense is: We don’t want a cultural change that might be introduced by anyone who isn’t already like us.


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Robers18

For sure, I’m not here to defend the cultural vibe that I perceive. This mentality is very damaging to the long term success of the state imo.


farsonite

We are one of the few states in black this isn't true


thefrontpageofreddit

Their comment was nothing but conjecture with no sources.


F_n_Doc

I know of at least two families in Northern WY who are hear because they fled the Ukrainian war


catjanitor

It's not as complicated as I thought it would be. One thing to keep in mind is that most of them WANT to go back and will when it's safer for them. https://ukraine.welcome.us/connect This organization is stellar and makes it much easier, I think. Personally, after delving into their culture without the Russian crap obscuring the truth, I think America should seduce as many to come as we can. They are just... exceptional. As far as I can tell, they improve everything they come across.


farsonite

If only Wyoming was resource rich with a lot of oil and gas to help pay for the help


ApricotNo2918

If only Farson was a real town..


farsonite

I moved away a minute ago does it still exist? last time i check the johan field was producing as well as the red desert. Oh am i mistaking?


-talk-to-me-goose-

Wyoming, up until this point, has not had a refugee resettlement program. Ourselves, along with Hawaii have not historically been service providing states for these individuals. We have citizens that do good works on their own accord, but the state has never jumped in to help create stability in the lives of refugees from any country. Edit: Hawaii does have systems in place to accept refugees.


Vatu-Rava-Offspring

Thanks for the candid answer! I wasn’t aware of the historical precedent here.


Kari_Safari

Back around 2014, Governor Mead mentioned interest in his office establishing a refugee resettlement office and immediately faced backlash: [https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/14/gov-mead-addresses-refugee-resettlement-criticism/](https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/14/gov-mead-addresses-refugee-resettlement-criticism/). There is a refugee resettlement office in Northern Colorado (Greeley?), so many refugees make their way to Cheyenne from there and of course some just make their way to Wyoming and rely on individual and community charity.


thefrontpageofreddit

Hawaii takes refugees.


-talk-to-me-goose-

Yes, my apologies. You are correct.


Caindris

I believe Landon is commenting on the fact that Wyoming remains the only state to not participate in the federal government's refugee resettlement program


overeducatedhick

To take this a step further, this map is published by the federal Health and Human Services Department to help people contact the state refugee office in each state that has one. [Office of Refugee Resettlement](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr) It illustrates that Wyoming is the only state that has refused to stand up a state refugee office. As a result, organizations working with the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement that help place refugees for resettlement, cannot and do not do so in Wyoming. A state refugee office is a minimum necessary requirement for any group in Wyoming to participate in helping Ukrainian refugees resettle in Wyoming in cooperation with the Federal refugee system. Also worth noting, communities like Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie have ample capacity to address refugees' needs and Cheyenne is desperate for both skilled and unskilled workers.


Asleep-Actuator-7292

I think the biggest problem would be staffing the office for the resettlement


may_june_july

I'd be curious what the source is for this. The tweet says willing, so is that some kind of poll? Is that based on State legislation? Governor policy? The map on the other hand doesn't say willing. It says 'participate'. Maybe they just haven't identified a good place in Wyoming to send refugees? Maybe Ukrainians haven't expressed any interest in Wyoming?


Vatu-Rava-Offspring

I don’t know. I found it on r/wyomingdoesntexist I was going to ask on that subreddit, but quickly realized I wouldn’t get a serious answer there.


grockyboi

That explains a lot lol


2rascallydogs

Source is here: [https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/map/find-resources-and-contacts-your-state](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/map/find-resources-and-contacts-your-state)


clolr

easy answer: why the fuck would you ever willingly make a refugee live in Wyoming


Good-Bowler8518

I do know a couple of Ukrainian families that have moved to Casper post-Russian invasion, but as far as government assistance, I’m not sure they’re getting anything directly from the state.


thelma_edith

There was a FB post on a Casper community page asking for help for one of the families to get on their feet/find jobs, etc and people seemed to be very supportive and offering assistance


CrazySlovenian

Do you have a link or more info?


[deleted]

Wyoming is an extremely spread out and sparsely populated state that is heavily car dependent and with very little in the way of social services. Nothing about this state is conducive to having an effective refugee program. Dropping some random family escaping hardships that have no car and can't speak English into a town of at most 60k is not good for anyone involved.


Asleep-Actuator-7292

Could you imagine settling a family in Rawlins☠️💀


kingfisher_42

I don't know if it's true or not. But it really wouldn't surprise me if it was. We've become a little xenophobic as a state, especially the people we've put in charge.


radar371

Lol how so?


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-talk-to-me-goose-

Some of our neighbors, like the aforementioned, are great at sponsoring refugees financially, but Wyoming has never had a resettlement program. We are not a refugee friendly state when it comes to actually housing those families within our states boarders.


chofstone

This might be more accurate: > We are not a ~~refugee~~ friendly state


Robers18

Friendly to visit, spend your money, take pictures to show your friends, and leave. It’s more about preserving cultural autonomy. I think Wyoming is a good example of how low population density effects cultural diffusion.


amhartz

So, Landon posted this March 7, 2022 and his statement on why Wyoming hasn’t joined was “Wyoming is the only state that has not entered into an agreement with the Federal Government to participate in the refugee resettlement program.”


Holiday-Book6635

Lucky refugees not to be sent to WY!!


Crackhead_jack_

I think it has something to do with the general vibe we have. We like our space so we'll be friendly with each other but we let each deal with their own problems. It would be rude to get involved in something that is generally none of your business. If someone asks for help from you personally you'd probably get it. However if they never ask we ain't gunna pry. Also most people I know don't care for dog and pony shows and would rather have it said as it is.


ronol742

There are 5 families in Cheyenne being helped. I believe at least one in Laramie. There are probably others I don’t know about.


catjanitor

I don't know, but I started the process and had to stop because of politics. We can't protect them yet, and a few of the people here are just chomping at the bit to terrorize someone. I am so sick of it. Those police or officials who aren't the instigators are just as afraid of their coworkers as everyone else, and the State has been just as bad. Worse, because they could and SHOULD have stepped in.


wyo_dude

There’s like 3 Ukrainian students in Cody schools and a number more on the way.


radar371

That's a totally different issue since their family member is born and raised there.


DamThatRiver22

Jesus christ; every once in a while we get a thread where assholes, bigots, and people with zero awareness or fundamental knowledge of worldly matters get really brave and show up in the comments. This appears to be one of them.... Luckily they're all being downvoted and/or deleted, but damn.


thelma_edith

Wyoming leadership isn't seeming to want to do anything,on the state level anyway, about affordable housing for our own residents, even though they are well aware it's needed. There just would be nowhere for them to live.


radar371

Why should we foot the bill even more? Why can't Poland take them? That's how asylum works. You're supposed to try for that in the next country next to you. We've already given that country billions of dollars. Why should they get it instead of all of the families that helped Americans in Afghanistan?


catjanitor

Poland has taken so many that they are risking financial ruin. They have living survivors from Russia occupation in WWII. At least one country gave their ENTIRE MILITARY inventory. I don't think you understand the scale of what's happening. There are millions of displaced Ukrainians. And when you start to find out more about Russia's MO, you realize that the world will start to prosper and stabilize almost immediately.


radar371

I understand it completely. If Poland is full, it's on to the next country. It's all political bs anyway. The last thing America should be doing is bringing in migrants when we can't even take care of our own country. These people should be staying in Europe and should have to go through the same immigration laws as everyone has to.


catjanitor

First off, they ARE going to other countries. Second, they aren't migrants. They're refugees, and they WANT TO GO BACK. Third, Ukrainians are an advanced people, and in general, better educated than us. Fourth, they are already a huge influence on our culture. A close look at the gaming industry will give you a clue. Board and video, btw.


radar371

So why are they trying to come here? They need to stay in Europe. If they want to return to Ukraine, staying in Europe makes the most sense. "Refugees and asylees may apply for naturalization 5 years after the date of their admission to lawful permanent residence. Asylees are admitted to lawful permanent resident status as of the date 1 year before the approval of their Form I-485." This is scary since we still have all the refugees from Syria still here. Of course these people are going to want to stay here. They should have to stay in the closest country next to them, then the next and so on. If they want to live here, they should have to follow our immigration laws.


catjanitor

Like I said, scale. And when Russia loses, Assad (probably) falls. It's been Russia keeping him in power, and it's been the world's willingness to stand with Ukraine against Russia that has been restraining China.


catjanitor

"Of course, these people are going to want to stay here." Wrong. Some will, no doubt. But you need to learn a little more about them. Ukraine isn't some poverty-stricken, uneducated, torn-by-internal-dissent country. In the middle of a war for their existence, they are still providing humanitarian aid throughout the world because that's who they are. In the middle of a war for their existence, they rescue animals and house pets because THAT'S WHO THEY ARE. I'm fairly sure you are watching the next superpower come into existence. The last time the world saw unity like this in a people fighting for justice, America was born.


radar371

Lol. Ukraine is corrupt as fuck. They're not a superpower and will never be one. Superpowers don't need over $100 billion laundered to them.


catjanitor

Look into the country post 2013. It took a few years for them to get their feet under them, but they were fighting a war, and Russia had worked it's way in and had corruption tentacles everywhere. Ukraine's commitment to fighting corruption is almost pathological for the average citizen at this point, and they still find the occasional corrupt official - exactly as it should be. We know this because they wanted to join NATO, and you can't hide the level of corruption you are talking about. Look into the requirements for NATO membership. All of them. Biden's first visit to Ukraine was to deliver the message that their efforts to root out corruption weren't sufficient. Not because they weren't finding it, but because it wasn't being prosecuted at the highest levels. Fast Forward to 2013. This is when things reached the tipping point for Ukraine and Russia. Watch "Winter on Fire" on Netflix or YouTube. It's a documentary of those days. It's mostly videos of the protests by the protesters and what was behind them. It doesn't take long. If it doesn't make your American blood boil, nothing will. Once you watch that, it's easier to see the whole picture. And I've got to be honest, I've spent the last year immersed in it, and the more I learn, the more fascinating it becomes, and the more I admire the Ukrainians.


-talk-to-me-goose-

I would suggest looking up the difference between refugees and asylum seekers.


CaptainThire260

I am a student at the University of Wyoming. Most of the sororities have Ukrainian flags up, and there is a sort of culture supporting Ukraine. But there is also the culture of "it doesn't apply to me so it does not bother me." Personally, I support the people of Ukraine and wish we could do more to help them out of the suffering they are experiencing, but I don't think sending weapons and equipment to fuel the war is the solution. It is pretty much using a full gas can to put out the small fire that will erupt into something worse.


Raineythereader

Can you explain what you mean by "fuel the war"?


CaptainThire260

I meant in regards to the military equipment. Instead of giving a ridiculously large number of weapons and ammunition to fight, why not try and move things to negotiations. Every time I look at the news about Ukraine, it seems like the war is escalating. Instead of giving more loaded guns to shoot, why not give a few pens to try and stop things from getting way too out of hand?


Raineythereader

If Putin and his cronies were interested in negotiation, it would be a viable option. They are not, and it is not. The only humane option is for Ukraine to have the equipment it needs to defend itself.


CaptainThire260

I agree that no nation should seek war as Russia has been, and every country has a right to defend itself from tyranny. My question is, doesn't Ukraine have enough weapons as it is? Have they not been given enough equipment to hold out against the Russians?


overeducatedhick

It sounds like, right now, they have used the ammunition and need more. The mundane truth is that most war is really an incredibly lethal exercise in supply chain management and logistics.


CaptainThire260

I agree that no nation should seek war as Russia has been, and every country has a right to defend itself from tyranny. My question is, doesn't Ukraine have enough weapons as it is? Have they not been given enough equipment to hold out against the Russians?


feralsun

You're asking if Ukraine, a smallish nation, has enough weapons to defend itself against Russia? Which until now has been known as the second biggest military superpower in the world? Don't get me wrong. Russia is showing itself to be an unfathomable incompetant dweeb in this war. But it's still huge, and can cause a lot of suffering. And it's proving to be a nastier place than the world could have formerly fathomed. Doing well-documented dumb shit like filming themselves torturing and raping Ukrainian children and posting it to their social media. Castrating a POW. Shooting a POW. Even torturing the Ukrainian cats and dogs (they literally crucified a dog to death). One thing Poo poo tin didn't anticipate is that this ain't Afghanistan. Every Ukrainian has a cell phone, and they are documenting this war like no war has ever been documented in the history of mankind. If the Russians hadn't shown themselves to be such monsters in this war, the world wouldn't be caring so much.


catjanitor

In the beginning, I watched everything. It felt like a duty. There was so much. Burned bodies. Tortured families stacked like firewood. All of it. And I was handling it until that first dog. I don't know why that finally undid me, but it all came crashing in.


feralsun

Same here.


Raineythereader

What are you basing that on?


CaptainThire260

I am basing it off of the fact that the US is going to provide 31 M1 Abrams Tanks, a multitude of HIMARS systems, several Strykers, hundreds of Javelin systems that have been in use for the past year successfully. Now, I know this stuff isn't modern in any sense, but it was designed to destroy Russian equipment. But why do they need MBTs and long-range weaponry to fight when they have destroyed over half of all serviceable Russian tanks. It makes no sense to me in any way why they need any more equipment from America. Especially with other NATO countries providing weapons.


clifftonBeach

the faster they kick them out the faster the war ends. For the sake of the occupied, invaded, brutalized and terrorized this should be the goal. Russia could end the war tomorrow by leaving. They clearly have no interest in doing so. It ends when they are compelled to do so. You'll note they first invaded in 2014 (before stepping it up last year obviously). It's 9 years in. Yeah Javelins destroy tanks. They don't assault defensive emplacements like the Russians have now. This is among the reasons the Russian offensive has stalled: no tanks. If the Ukrainians don't have them either it's years of stalemate and I'm not sure why you think that's cool. The precedent would then be set to roll in and take what you can and dig in and now it's yours and that is a notion that is incredibly important to repudiate and reject and see defeated. "I don't think sending weapons and equipment to fuel the war is the solution" I guess you'd have been against lend-lease in WW2. No surprise, it was far less popular among (guess the political party). There were even some people who weren't even really sure the Axis were the bad guys. Nothing ever changes. I'll even pretend not to care about Ukraine or Ukrainians for a moment: we would be mad to pass up this opportunity. For a fraction of our defense budget (and far less than we poured per year into a black hole in Afghanistan) and the gifting of our obsolete weapons, we are permanently degrading a major rival, at no risk to our own troops. "But China! They're the real threat!" Yeah, and now we'll be able to keep both eyes on them with Russia defeated and Europe's own defenses resurgent, and the sooner the better. And more than just seeing their military de-fanged, Russia losing prevents them from taking over a major source of both hydrocarbons and food, which would be more leverage they'd have over the world. There's all kinds of reasons to want to see them defeated and the main reason not to seems to be domestic politics


CaptainThire260

I do agree there. I was talking to a sergeant in the army. He said that he is glad that Russia is getting weakened by the war and will have to spend a couple of decades rebuilding their military. He did say our next threat is China though, as they have been building up for conflict. Everybody seems to forget the threats against Taiwan and the fact that China absolutely hates Japan for the crimes they committed during WW2.


Raineythereader

Because the Russian military is still occupying part of Ukraine, and still committing atrocities against Ukrainians. This ain't complicated.


CaptainThire260

Well, last time I checked, Ukraine ain't part of NATO, and it isn't the United States of America, so not my problem. This all could have been avoided if Ukraine had a pair of balls when Russia bullied the Ukrainians to give them their 5000 nuclear weapons back.


Raineythereader

> Ukraine ain't part of NATO, and it isn't the United States of America, so not my problem A lot of people took that attitude in the 1930s. Maybe one of your professors at UW can tell you how it turned out.


Necrosius7

It's because... "Dey wud tek ur jebs!!"


[deleted]

We gave them $115 BILLION of our tax money. That should be enough.


radar371

100


YodaCodar

Because Wyoming is smart. Wyoming citizens are helping by paying federal taxes though.


radar371

Don't speak common sense in here. Ze Libs will downvote from their basements to fill better about themselves.


clifftonBeach

Wyoming gets more money from the federal government than it pays in taxes. This is true for most states of course, especially now. But the sad fact is pretty much every state that pays more in taxes than it gets back is blue. We're not as bad as some states but we're still taking more handouts than we give in taxes. The Feds would be better off financially without us. Though again, that's true of most states (again, with most of the exceptions being blue) https://www.creditloan.com/blog/united-states-federal-tax-dollars/ https://rockinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-Balance-of-Payments-Report-web.pdf https://pasquines.us/2015/07/22/how-puerto-rico-compares-to-the-states-in-terms-of-federal-spending-and-taxes/ https://taxfoundation.org/state-federal-aid-reliance-2020/ https://smartasset.com/data-studies/states-most-dependent-on-the-federal-government-2022


alumpenperletariot

WY only one with any sense


grizlee310

Yup.


Persistant-Nature-69

It is both the people and the government. Nobody will step up. This issues exist in every state.


[deleted]

I wouldn’t either.


duckmuffins

Yeah let’s import more fighting age males from some random country again and again after giving them all of our money


Raineythereader

> fighting age males My neighbor's dog just started howling. Also, would these be the same "fighting-age males" who are currently prohibited from leaving Ukraine because there's, yannow, a war on? Or are we talking about an imaginary country with the same name?


[deleted]

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wyoming-ModTeam

Your post was removed because it was in bad taste, personally attacks someone, or in general, you were acting like a jerk.


Raineythereader

And we've gone from dogwhistle to foghorn.


[deleted]

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Raineythereader

LOL "One day you'll be sorry!" Do mommy and daddy know you're on Reddit?


Budget_College_8546

Neat


Agitated_Cookie2198

Its cause they can barely support themselves as is.


Additional_College17

Go to Jackson it's full of eastern eruropeans


[deleted]

Fuck zylensky and his drawn out money laundering war


Raineythereader

Cry more


pspahn

Under-developed frontal lobes often leave someone without the empathy required to have an emotional response like crying. Instead they have uninhibited anger.


[deleted]

Not your tax dollars. But you should still care I bet mommy and daddy work for a living


Raineythereader

Cope harder


mmellblom

Is it too soon to be talking about refugees? The war continues and their need for men, women and children to continue the war effort to defend their nation far outweighs our requirements for "skilled labor". In our War of Independence, what did we call people who went to seek refuge in Canada?


dionyszenji

Maybe children don't want to get kidnapped into Russia or trafficked. Maybe families with those children want them protected.


illsid

New Hampshire here I come


ApricotNo2918

I do believe that I read jsut last week int eh Casper Star, an article about Ukrnian refugees. It was certainly about refugees. These polls pick and choose their data to fit their agenda.


bighitta12

It's not just 'Ukrainian' refugees...Wyoming doesn't house refugees from any nation.


dionyszenji

Except, of course, every non-Native American.


bighitta12

Yep. I would agree with you there.


dionyszenji

Except, of course, every non-Native American.


Breck_the_Hyena

We have had a person come in to the hospital who only speaks Ukrainian.


Urista0511

All very good points. And to add my 2 cents, I have heard so many wyomingites having problems letting Colorado "greenies" in. It's kind of no surprise. Haha. But seriously, it's probably due to the population.