PIERRE, South Dakota: According to the American Community Survey Brief of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau report, South Dakota showed a three-fold increase over the national average of foreign-born population over the past 12 years.
The state’s population of people born overseas grew by 45.5 percent between 2010 and 2022, or 10,000 people, compared to 15.6 percent across the entire United States.
Only North Dakota had a larger percentage increase. Here the foreign-born population increased from 17,000 to 38,000 within the same 12 years,
Nassir Yemam, a refugee from Ethiopia, moved to South Dakota in the early 2000s and lives in Sioux Falls.
“I have not had any bad experiences, but the people are good. I like the American way of life,” he was quoted by The Associated Press. “I am really happy with the place where I am; that is why I stayed here for a very long time.”
Weiwei Zhang, state demographer and South Dakota State University professor, said that despite the increase, the number of foreign-born residents in South Dakota is still low, compared to states like California and New York.
An American Community Survey Brief analysis reveals that South Dakota has the fifth-lowest share of foreign-born residents. Out of the state’s estimated 910,000 residents, nearly 32,000, or 3.5 percent, are from outside of the United States.
Zhang added that the increase in the number of foreign-born people in South Dakota is an extension of the national trend. What’s notable, however, is where foreign-born residents come from, she said.
Before 2000, the largest number of people came to South Dakota from Latin America, which Asia and then Europe closely followed. Since 2000, more people have moved here from Asia and Africa, moving Latin America to third place.
In 2018, according to an American Immigration Council report, most foreign-born residents in South Dakota were from Guatemala, the Philippines, Mexico, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Financial impact of immigration in South Dakota
The report said that households led by foreign-born residents paid US$137.7 million in federal, state and local taxes in 2018.
Zhang said some of the industries with the most workers from abroad are manufacturing, health care, transportation, and human and social services.
For some people, moving to the United States is caused by “the fear for their lives and the lives of their family,” said Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, president and CEO at Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.
Those people are refugees.
Current affairs affect where people resettle from
As of July 31, more than 280 refugees have resettled in South Dakota in fiscal year 2024, which started in October, according to the Refugee Processing Center. This is an increase compared to last year’s 206 people.
Ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in terms of arrivals in South Dakota, are Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and Bhutan with 821 and 1,085 people, respectively.
Kiesow-Knudsen said countries from which people resettle in the United States tend to change based on conflicts that are happening around the world.
Upon arrival: Community orientation
Kiesow-Knudsen said as a resettlement agency, LSS’s Center for New Americans has the responsibility to “make sure that people get integrated into the community.”
This means that a few weeks before a refugee lands at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, the Center for New Americans receives a case file about them.
The team meets the refugee at the airport, provides them with interpretation and translation services, takes them to their new home and welcomes them with a culturally appropriate meal.
Soon afterwards, new arrivals are invited to take part in community orientation, which spans two weeks. Ethiopia native Yemam remembers his orientation as “very, very helpful.”
He said the program covered topics like getting a job, doing groceries and “starting a new life in America.” To Yemam, this means “depending on yourself.”
Aside from community orientation, the Center for New Americans also provides English classes that can range in length, depending on the student’s fluency.
Kiesow-Knudsen said the process of acquiring a driver’s license can be long for refugees, and not speaking English can make it particularly difficult. She said the center offers classes in several languages to help people understand the basics of what they will need to pass the written examination.
Yemam said the community of Ethiopians in Sioux Falls is sizable and vibrant. People tend to gather for church services, celebrations or mourning ceremonies.
“I say, ‘Thank you, God’ for everything that I have,” Yemam said. “I always believe that I am blessed, I have no complaints.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-14 02:09:00
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