The increase in South Dakota’s foreign-born population has exceeded the national average by three times over the past 12 years, according to the Summary of the American Community Survey the latest report from the US Census Bureau.
The state’s foreign-born population grew by 45.5%, or 10,000 people, between 2010 and 2022, compared to 15.6% for the United States as a whole.
Only in North Dakota was the percentage increase even greater, as the number of foreign-born people there rose from 17,000 to 38,000 within the same twelve years.
Nassir Yemam moved to South Dakota as a refugee from Ethiopia in the early 2000s and lives in Sioux Falls.
“I haven’t had any bad experiences, the people are nice. I like the American lifestyle,” he said. “I’m really happy with where I am, that’s why I’ve stayed here for a very long time.”
Weiwei Zhang, a state demographer and professor at South Dakota State University, said that despite the increase, the number of foreign-born residents in South Dakota is still low compared to states such as California and New York.
In fact, an analysis by the American Community Survey Brief shows that South Dakota has the fifth-lowest percentage of foreign-born residents in the country. Of South Dakota’s estimated 910,000 residents, nearly 32,000, or 3.5%, are from outside the United States, the report says.
Zhang added that the increase in South Dakota’s foreign-born population is a continuation of the national trend. What’s notable, however, is where the foreign-born residents are coming from, she said.
Before 2000, most people coming to South Dakota came from Latin America, closely followed by Asia and then Europe. Since 2000, more people from Asia and Africa have been moving to South Dakota, pushing Latin America into third place.
In 2018, according to a American Immigration Council According to reports, most of South Dakota’s foreign-born residents came from Guatemala, the Philippines, Mexico, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Financial Impact of Immigration in South Dakota
Foreign-born households paid $137.7 million in federal, state and local taxes in 2018, the same report said.
Zhang said the industries with the most foreign workers include manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and social services.
While official statistics do not provide data on why people move to a particular place, Zhang suspects that job opportunities, housing availability and existing ties with family or friends may be some of the reasons people move to South Dakota from abroad.
For some people, the reason for moving to the United States is “fear for their lives and those of their families,” says Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.
These people are refugees.
“No individual wants to become a refugee. That is not what people want,” says Kiesow-Knudsen.
Current events influence where people move from
As of July 31, more than 280 refugees have settled in South Dakota in the 2024 fiscal year, which began in October, according to the Refugee Processing CenterThis is an increase compared to the 206 people in the previous year.
Most people so far have come from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The archives of the Refugee Processing Center show that 509 people from there have settled in South Dakota since 2012.
In terms of the number of arrivals in South Dakota, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Bhutan are ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo with 821 and 1,085 people respectively.
According to Kiesow-Knudsen, the countries of origin of people in the United States are changing due to the conflicts taking place all over the world.
Kiesow-Knudsen added that it was difficult for the center to determine the exact number of refugees in the country. The organization only knew about the people who came to them seeking help.
“We know that many people who may arrive in another part of the country decide to move to South Dakota because it’s a good place for their families and never talk to us,” Kiesow-Knudsen said.
The process behind the scenes
The decision on how many refugees will be resettled in the United States begins in the White House, said Kiesow-Knudsen. In 2023, the US government will have allowed more than 60,000 refugees to enter the country, according to the LSS Center for New Americans.
For the 2024 fiscal year, President Joe Biden approved the admission of up to 125,000 refugees, according to the Office for Population, Refugees and MigrationAccording to the Refugee Processing Center, the United States had already admitted more than 74,000 refugees as of July 31.
Kiesow-Knudsen said that once the president signs the decision to admit refugees, the U.S. State Department will begin a “very thorough process” of background checking those registered as refugees to obtain status authorized to enter the country.
LSS’s Center for New Americans is an affiliate of Global Refuge, a nonprofit organization formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Organizations like the Center for New Americans are starting a “continuous dialogue” with Global Refuge and local stakeholders about the number of refugees they can serve, taking into account factors such as the employment environment, school situation and housing market, Kiesow-Knudsen says.
“The United States has this wonderful tradition of welcoming refugees and helping them integrate into the country, and we are just a part of that process of helping people succeed,” she said.
Center for New Americans merged with Multi-Cultural Center
The LSS Center for New Americans began the merger process with the Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls in October 2022.
Kiesow-Knudsen said the Multi-Cultural Center, which had previously worked with Native Americans and immigrants, was looking for a new executive director and had turned to the Center for New Americans.
Since the two organizations provided similar services and had great synergies, the boards of both companies decided to merge.
“LSS’s vision is for every South Dakotan to be healthy, safe and accepted. And that last aspect is what the MCC focuses on – that feeling of acceptance in Sioux Falls and throughout South Dakota, the opportunity to celebrate our community and the diversity here,” says Valeria Wicker, executive director of the LSS Multi-Cultural Center.
Upon arrival: orientation in the community
Kiesow-Knudsen said that as a resettlement agency, the LSS’s Center for New Americans has a responsibility to “make sure that people are integrated into the community.”
That means the Center for New Americans receives a file on a refugee a few weeks before they land at Sioux Falls Regional Airport. That way, the organization’s case management team arranges housing and provides “basic things, like, ‘What do I need to have at home to be able to live there?'” Kiesow-Knudsen said.
The team then picks up the refugees at the airport, provides them with interpreter and translation services, takes them to their new home and welcomes them with a culturally appropriate meal.
Soon after, the new arrivals are invited to attend a two-week orientation session. Yemam, an Ethiopian, remembers his orientation session as “very, very helpful.”
He said the program covers topics such as finding a job, buying groceries and “starting a new life in America.” For Yemam, that means “relying on yourself.”
Yemam said the centre pays great attention to preparing refugees for employment by exposing them to different opportunities and helping them prepare for job interviews.
“Some people who come to the United States feel like their dreams will come true here, but life is not as easy as you think,” he said. “To make life easy, you have to work hard. That’s the American dream.”
Yemam works at the African Community Center of Sioux Falls, providing services to African immigrants and their families.
According to Kiesow-Knudsen, the federal government provides financial support to refugees for up to eight months. This is “a quick solution.”
She added that orientation leaders often invite members of the Sioux Falls community as well as representatives from law enforcement, Falls Community Health, the school district and more.
One of Yemam’s biggest dreams is to send his 17-year-old son to college.
“All my success is his future,” he said. “I tell him that if he works hard on his education after high school, he will have a better life for 40 years.”
English is the key to enjoying life in America
In addition to the community orientation, the Center for New Americans also offers English courses, the length of which can vary depending on the student’s language skills.
“English is key in this country,” said Yemam. “The more you speak English and the more you understand English, the more fun you will have in life.”
Kiesow-Knudsen said getting a driver’s license can be a lengthy process for refugees, and if they don’t speak English, it can be especially difficult. She said the center offers courses in several languages to help people understand the basics they need to take the written test.
Yemam said he drove a manual car before coming to the United States and passed his driving test easily. He remembers the first car he bought here, a $300 Nissan.
“It was a big deal for me,” he said.
Community keeps culture alive: “We feel free”
Yemam said one trait that American and Ethiopian cultures have in common is respect.
“Americans are very, very respectful people,” he said. “That’s why we feel free when we come to the United States, because nobody has taken away our faith, our culture or anything else. They respect what we have and we have the right to practice our culture.”
Yemam said the Ethiopian community in Sioux Falls is large and vibrant, with people often gathering for worship, celebrations or funeral ceremonies.
On such occasions, Ethiopians usually dress in traditional clothes, cook authentic food, meet or talk on the phone with each other, he said.
Because many Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar to determine religious holidays, some Ethiopian families in the U.S., for example, celebrate two Easters: one with their American neighbors and another coordinated with their fellow Ethiopians, Yemam said.
“I say ‘Thank you God’ for everything I have,” Yemam said. “I always believe that I am blessed, I have no complaints.”
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. For more detailed stories, visit sdnewswatch.org And sign up for an email every few days to receive stories as soon as they are published. Contact us at [email protected].
