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Refugee Shelter Proposal Tears Alma Community Apart As Vote On Rezoning Nears

Brett Dahlberg
/
WCMU
Debate over a shelter for young asylum-seekers has dominated local government meetings in Alma this summer. The city is scheduled to vote on the issue Tuesday.

Alma, Mich., is 1,500 miles from America’s southern border, but the city of 9,000 people is being torn apart by a debate over immigration.

The city commission is set to vote Tuesday on whether to approve a shelter for young people who crossed the border without their families. Whatever decision the city makes, it’s going to leave part of its population disappointed and angry.

Some city leaders say regardless of the vote's outcome, they're expecting a lawsuit.

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