Official: State has no role in deciding if refugees come

The state of Missouri does not have a role in deciding if refugees will come to the state, according to the director of the Department of Social Services.

The statement was in response to questions raised by state Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, in a letter to the departments of Social Services and Public Safety on Monday.

"I am unaware of any state or local government agency with responsibilities for the actual placement of refugees (Syrian or otherwise) in Missouri," Social Services Director Brian Kinkade wrote in a letter to Schaefer on Wednesday.

According to the Department of Social Services, once refugees are in the state, it is private, non-governmental refugee resettlement agencies that coordinate the placement of those refugees and orchestrate the resettlement programs.

In Missouri, the agencies that do this are the International Institute of St. Louis, Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, Jewish Vocational Services and Della Lamb Community Services.

Refugee services in Missouri are federally funded.

"Federally supported services include job training and placement, language education, case management, special services for elderly refugees and engagement with local public education for school-aged children," Kinkade wrote. "These services are funded 100 percent by the federal government; there is no state match required, and Missouri invests no state funds in these services otherwise."

Other monetary and health care assistance for refugees is available through the Medicaid and FAMIS systems.

When refugees are not eligible for these, they can receive time-limited assistance that is, again, 100 percent federally funded, Kinkade said.

According to the U.S. State Department, 1,495 refugees of all nationalities were placed in Missouri in the fiscal year 2015. Of those refugees, 29 are Syrian.

On average, 1,300 refugees are placed in Missouri each year.

"Because we do not know the number of refugees placed in the state in the future, we do not know the level of future federal funds available through the federal Refugee Resettlement Program," Kinkade wrote. "We anticipate no need for General Revenue or other state funding for Refugee Resettlement services in the future."

The question of state authority in refugee placement was brought up after many senators received numerous messages from constituents concerned about their safety, according to state Senate GOP spokeswoman Lauren Hieger.

"In the last few days, I have heard from many of my constituents who are concerned that terrorists may be using immigration as a cover to infiltrate and kill citizens in host cities," Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, wrote in a statement on Thursday.