A graduate capstone project provided interesting research for Minnesota’s Center for Rural Policy and Development.

CRPD research intern Whitney Oachs and fellow grad students at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs were working on their thesis, which focused on the relationships between local governments and immigrant and refugee populations centered in meatpacking communities in Minnesota. As the project evolved, CRPD noted the research was unearthing important research about the relationships among Black, Indigenous and people of color immigrant and refugee groups, and local governments of the communities they live in. The findings showed numerous weaknesses and strengths in these communities and their emerging new populations.

“Because rural Minnesota’s population has been predominantly white for decades, newfound racial and ethnic diversity has caused issues related to community cohesion, racism and public services,” CRPD noted in a news release. “However, immigrant workers make important contributions to greater Minnesota’s economy. BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] workers not only make up the majority of employees on most meatpacking floors, but their families are responsible for sustaining rural population density. While population declines are widespread among rural communities, counties with a high ratio of immigrant and refugee in-migration have actually grown.”

The grad students interviewed 20 government officials and community leaders in four cities across rural Minnesota — Austin, Pelican Rapids, Willmar and Worthington. They chose those cities because all four reported notable increases in foreign-born residents over the last two decades, they are all in rural counties, and they are home to major meatpacking employers that serve as both the economic driver of each city and the largest employer for immigrants and refugees. The grad students interviewed city council members, school officials, county administrators, city mayors and police chiefs.

“In our study, we found that successful community cohesion is fostered especially among young people and families in local schools, worker relationships on the meatpacking floor, and the establishment of ethnic restaurants across all cities,” they wrote. “Issues and challenges included problems that are both unique to immigrants and refugees — like language translation and social service connections — and problems that affect all types of rural residents — like housing and access to higher education.”

Findings and analysis

The research report shares findings organized into five main categories: social cohesion and cultural bias; government outreach attitudes and barriers; language and communication; representation in government; and rural housing deficit. The following is edited information from the report:

Social cohesion and cultural bias. In conversations with local officials, the students found white residents’ perceptions of local immigrant and refugee groups affected by how recently that immigrant group had arrived coupled with racial and ethnic bias. However, multiple interviewees also cited that attitudes toward immigrant and refugee groups have shifted in a positive direction over time.

In three of the four cities they studied, Latino groups were the first to migrate to those communities, and have therefore “better assimilated” into the surrounding culture. Interviewees said newer groups, such as Somali and Karen, have had a “harder time” getting involved and integrated into each town. Though most government workers and community leaders recognize this difference is due to the time of arrival, some perceived the difficulty as a “lack of interest” in community involvement among different racial and ethnic groups.

Government outreach attitudes and barriers. While some government officials saw specific outreach to immigrant and refugee communities a necessity, others opposed the notion that any one group should receive “special treatment.” One official in Austin made it clear that specific outreach to immigrant and refugee groups is an important element of government purview, which is reflected in the city’s welcome center and honorary city council seat. In comparison, an official in Worthington said it was up to the various immigrant communities to express their needs to local leaders. “If you don’t tell us what the shortcomings are, we won’t know that there are shortcomings. So, I’m not shy about putting the responsibility back on other individuals that they need to step up and work with us.”

Language and communication. Language and translation were by far the most frequent issue cited in interviews. Because it is expensive to translate government documents, all four cities face barriers in effective communication with populations speaking English as a second language.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity for translation and improved communication only increased. To distribute materials in languages understood by the immigrant and refugee populations, cities either allocated additional resources to translation, or partnered with local meatpacking employers who have translators on staff. The problem with increasing resources put toward translation is the myriad spoken languages present in each town. For many Latinos even, Spanish is the second language after their native or Indigenous tongue. As such, it is impossible for any city to translate and disseminate documents in every language, or to the correct groups.

Representation in government. Although representation within the government remains a challenge for rural communities everywhere, some communities have adopted intentional systems for fostering diverse input into government decisions. The officials brought up three perceived barriers to representation in government — elected or staff positions — for immigrant and refugee groups:

• Lack of community interest, which was found among Black, Indigenous, people of color and white residents. Officials cited a gap in immigrant and refugee community interest in government involvement, as well as the needed collaborative action required by local governments to effectively provide for these communities.

• A skills mismatch leading to a lack of diversity in employment. Discrepancies between worker qualifications and traditional hiring requirements make it difficult for local governments to consider individuals who are people of color, Black or Indigenous for public positions.

• Overburdened community leaders who are Indigenous, people of color or Black. Finally, individual community leaders who are involved in government decisions quickly become overtaxed when burdened with representing their entire demographic, despite being just one person.

Rural housing deficit. Greater Minnesota has a well-documented housing deficit, due largely to the inability for municipalities to attract developers. With the cost of materials skyrocketing, and the profit margin for building much lower in rural areas, cities are struggling to provide not just traditional housing, but housing that meets the different needs of the immigrant and refugee communities. Said one Austin City Council member: “Housing is the biggest challenge for refugees. It is easier for someone who has been in America longer to get a house or to get an apartment compared to a refugee who just moved here … [M]ost immigrants who moved to Austin have multigeneration families. You know, they have a family of more than four and more than five. So with housing or apartments built in Austin before they had all those refugees and immigrants, it’s all one or two bedrooms or a small house.”

Moving forward

The grad students note in their report that rural immigrants and refugees are community assets.

“These residents provide population density, fill employment gaps and infuse their new homes with their culture, cuisine and young people,” they wrote. “Without immigrants and refugees, Austin, Pelican Rapids, Willmar and Worthington would all likely report the same kind of population and economic decline present in smaller cities that have not experienced in-migration.”

Through their interviews, the students found that the most successful instances of community cohesion and outreach exist in areas where resources, public-private partnerships and community voices are all successfully integrated.

“From Austin’s honorary city council seat, to the welcome centers which connect new migrants with social and translation services, there are many instances of promising policies which serve to promote equity, inclusion and togetherness,” they wrote.

Still, problems and disagreements exist when adapting to a new and growing community. The students noted that future research could focus on maximizing partnerships with local organizations and governments, and creating strategic plans for inclusion.

“The task of thinking through immigration’s impact on the social fabric of greater Minnesota and fully addressing the community needs that arise from these changes is a complicated, yet pressing issue,” they concluded. “Local governments have the ability to build community through embracing difference, though this can only occur through significant government investment and community collaboration. While the sample cities discussed in this report have all worked to make immigrants and refugees feel welcome, there is more that can and should be done in communities across rural Minnesota.”

Source: Minnesota Center for Rural Policy and Development, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.