In cooperation with the Department of State, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a national voluntary organization, refers refugees to agencies such as Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota. Here, refugees receive resettlement services designed to make their transition to a new land easier.

Refugees may be assisted by family members, churches, organizations and LSS. In the past few years, refugees have come to South Dakota from Bosnia, Kosovo, the Ukraine, the former Soviet Union, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and other countries.