Last September, President Trump announced Executive Order 13888, which required state and local governments to opt in to having refugees settle in their jurisdiction. The move was the president’s latest attempt to curtail immigration, both legal and illegal, and it also posed an important question to the country: Do we want to join Donald Trump in his quest for a whiter America?

In North Carolina, the answer thus far has been a clear no.

Led by Gov. Roy Cooper, who submitted a letter in December affirming the state’s consent to resettle refugees, several North Carolina cities and counties — including Mecklenburg, Wake and Forsyth — have declined to take the president up on his offer to ban refugee settlement. The state Department of Health and Human Services, which has helped some local governments craft their consent letters, knows of no local governments that have declared they will not accepting refugees, DHHS spokesperson Chris Mackey told the editorial board this week.

The same is true across the country, where there reportedly are just a handful of local governments — plus one state, Texas —that have decided to ban refugee settlement. Governments that don’t provide written consent will be presumed by federal officials to be closed to refugees. So much uncertainty remains for refugees and refugee organizations.

There’s also some question about whether Trump’s executive order is even legal. Opponents of the measure, who are challenging it in court, say that refugee settlement is a federal issue and that state and local governments have no say in the matter.

What’s certain is that the executive order has created confusion and fear among refugee organizations, which are scrambling to ensure their local governments will continue to accept refugees. In Mecklenburg County, officials were apparently unaware of the need to address Executive Order 13888 until they were alerted late last year by an official from a long-time Charlotte resettlement agency. Mecklenburg Manager Dena Diorio, with the help of DHHS, crafted and signed the letter Dec. 19.

The executive order is one of several measures the Trump administration has taken to limit immigration, including measures that close doors U.S. has long offered to legally enter the country. Last year, Trump announced plans to reduce the number of refugees allowed in the United States this year to 18,000. In 2019 the cap was 30,000, down from the 110,000 President Barack Obama said should be allowed in 2016.

The targets of these policies and proposals share at least one thing — they’re not part of the America that Donald Trump wants, the one that is whiter and believes immigrants threaten our culture and way of life. But the rejection thus far of Trump’s executive order shows that Americans largely don’t agree. We understand that refugees and other immigrants make significant contributions — both culturally and economically — to our cities and communities. We believe there is both joy and obligation in sharing this country’s bounty and freedom, especially with those fleeing untenable and dangerous circumstances.

As Cooper in his letter in December: “North Carolina was one of the first states to welcome refugees to the United States after the United States Refugee Act was signed into law in 1980. Our state has a strong network of community and faith-based groups which aid in resettlement of refugees who seek safety from persecution.”

We’re thankful that so far, most of North Carolina doesn’t want that to change.

— The Charlotte Observer