Does Lutheran Social Services get special payments for recruiting or bringing Somali immigrants into North Dakota and Minnesota?

No.

Lutheran Social Services does not receive special or additional payments for Somali immigrants.

Like other nonprofit resettlement agencies, Lutheran Social Services participates in the federal U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and receives a standard, one-time grant of about $2,000 for each refugee it helps resettle, regardless of nationality or country of origin.

Refugees are selected and vetted overseas by the federal government through a separate screening process. Resettlement agencies do not recruit refugees, do not choose refugees based on nationality, and are not paid to bring specific groups into particular states.

Federal funds are used to support initial resettlement services after refugees arrive in the United States. These services include help with housing, basic necessities, case management, and employment support during the first months of resettlement. The funding is not paid directly to refugees and is not profit for the agency.

In addition to Somali refugees, the program has resettled refugees from Europe as well as Asia and Latin America.

Editor's note: While it still operates in Minnesota, LSS ceased operating in North Dakota in January, 2021, due to severe financial struggles.

This fact brief is in response to online conversations such as this one.

Sources:

U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of State/Refugee Council USA: Resettlement Committee explanation

Congress.gov:  U.S. Refugee Admissions Program