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This is the second time in a year that the Sandpoint mayor and City Council has tried to force a refugee program on our community. Why are they so adamant about opening our community to unvetted refugees? Could it be money? Are they willing to fill the city coffers with federal money at our expense?

The FBI stated last year that the refugees that have been brought into the United States from the Middle East were not properly vetted. These unvetted refugees won’t be living in the neighborhoods of the mayor or City Council’s, they are going to be living in yours. I didn’t move to this area so my wife, daughters, and granddaughters can be treated like second-class citizens the way women are treated in the Middle East. A true refugee needs to be treated with respect and helped to resettle in their new country. But, how do we know if we aren’t opening our families to terrorists? If the FBI can’t guarantee their legitimacy, just how does the mayor and City Council plan to prevent a terrorist from moving into this area posing as a refugee.

Sandpoint, you need to think hard about who you have elected to represent you in your city government. Do they have your best interests at heart or theirs? The Sandpoint Police, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, and Ponderay Police combined do not have the manpower, resources, or training to handle the types of terrorist attacks we have seen in Europe and the United States. Currently there are 14 dead in the recent Barcelona, Spain, terrorist attack.

DAVID and CLAUDIA BANNISTER

Sagle