Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, gave a shout out to Rutland during a speech Wednesday on the global refugee crisis.Power was speaking in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Institute of Peace about the importance of the United States taking in more refugees
“The small Vermont town of Rutland has committed to taking in 100 Syrian refugees,” Power said. “The mayor [Christopher Louras], whose grandfather came to the U.S. after fleeing Greece, said of the decision, ‘As much as I want to say it’s for compassionate reasons, I realize there is not a vibrant, growing successful community in the country right now that is not embracing new Americans.’”
Rutland has been working with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program to create the state’s first settlement for Syrian refugees — an effort that has stirred up significant support and protest.
