Media could spend the rest of their days deconstructing rhetorical excesses from the imploding presidential campaign of former Arkansan Mike Huckabee.

But here’s one more: Vox blowing up the Huckster’s laugh line that desert-weathered Syrians wouldn’t want to settle in the U.S. because, hey, it’s cold in Minnesota.


Vox went to the facts. Turns out Minnesota is one of the most welcoming states for refugees. Top incoming country: Somalia. Then Myanmar. Then Iraq. These are all hot places. And others from those countries have been attracted to Minnesota after initial resettlement elsewhere in the U.S., too. Writes Vox:

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It turns out that climate isn’t actually that important in determining whether refugees can successfully integrate into the US. As the MinnPost wrote earlier this year, citing a refugee policy expert from the University of Minnesota: “In deciding where to place refugees, agencies look for areas with strong local job markets, sufficient space in quality school districts, affordable housing, and a decent public transportation infrastructure.”

Contra Mike Huckabee, those are things Americans — even Minnesotans — can definitely provide.

 
An earlier article we posted noted that Arkansas and Mississippi are at the bottom of the U.S. heap in welcoming refugees. Hmmmm. Note bold-faced passage above. Jason Rapert and them like it this way.

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