Fargo's Newest Pioneers

"Fargo, N.D., is also a study in an America that is changing... Over the past 10 years, the Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of North Dakota has resettled in the state some 6,000 refugees from 15 countries: from Bosnians to Sudanese and from Iraqi Kurds to Somalis. These refugees, unlike immigrants, are invited to the US and given assistance in settling in their host community. Almost always, the newcomers are escaping dire circumstances in their homelands... Nonetheless, resettlement workers still think that the community here, like those all over the country, is slowly recognizing the benefits an influx of refugees can bring, especially to states like North Dakota with declining populations and labor shortages."