We Must Have The National Security Debate Without Ignoring The Impact On Our Neighbors

Adil Abdelnou

Monday I had the privilege of guest hosting News and Views with Joel Heitkamp on KFGO and across the state. Friday’s Executive Order and the resulting protests needed to be talked about. People were feeling a little anxious about what was unfolding. When scheduling the show, I wanted to provide a real face to the impacts here locally. I made a couple of phone calls and was put in contact with Adil Abdelnour, a Sudanese immigrant who has called Fargo home for seven years. Adil went to NDSU and earned a degree in Finance and Management Information Systems. He now works as an Information Technology professional. As he said in our interview, he continues to seek the American Dream.

You can listen to the whole interview here:

In addition to our talk about President Trump’s order, we talked about proposed legislation in North Dakota. Adil is a member of the Fargo-Moorhead Refugee Advisory Council. The group is opposed to HB 1427. The bill sets a process for local governments and the Governor of North Dakota, through executive order, to ban refugees from relocating to our area.

Following our conversation, I opened up the phone lines to callers. For some of them, it was as if they didn’t even listen to Adil. Call after call spread the false notion that none of these refugees or immigrants work. “They are all on the system!” and on and on. Here I had a brave young man willing to speak up for himself and others like them, and it apparently fell on deaf ears.

Please, don’t just hear what you want from your preferred news outlet. Take a moment and listen to your living, breathing neighbors who are also proud to call this place home and seek the American Dream.