Republican-endorsed candidate Jeff Johnson says if elected governor he’ll immediately tell the federal government that Minnesota will no longer participate in the refugee resettlement program — because the state is doing more than its fair share and it’s costing possibly hundreds of millions of dollars. Johnson says, “This isn’t the only way that we as Minnesotans help people. We have one of the most generous welfare systems in the country and we go out of our way to help to help vulnerable people — and I’m proud of that. But you also have to be smart and common-sense about it.”
DFL-endorsed candidate for governor Erin Murphy responds Johnson and Republican rival Tim Pawlenty are tripping over each other to see who can do more to demonize families around the world who are fleeing violence and famine, much as Hmong and Somali Minnesotans did.
More in this interview: