IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County officials may meet soon to discuss how they would handle the situation if busloads of migrants are dropped off in the community.

There’s no indication it might happen, but news reports of Republican governors in Texas and Florida transferring migrants to Democratic-led cities has helped spark local concerns.

An email sent to The Daily News on Monday said, “Rumor has it that Governor Whitmer has moved 300 undocumented immigrants into Iron Mountain and is housing them at the motel next to Taco Bell. Any truth to that?”

In a word, no.

Although the hearsay had apparently been quelled, dozens of citizens applauded at Monday night’s county board meeting after Sharon Reuter of Breitung Township asked the board to declare Dickinson “a non-sanctuary county for illegal immigrants.” Discussing the number of people entering the U.S. from other nations, Reuter said the “sheer numbers are terrifying.”

The county board did not discuss the issue, but Commissioner Joe Stevens suggested a meeting with Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Richards, Sheriff Scott Rutter and other key officials to “get a handle on the what-ifs” of migrant housing.

Iron Mountain Mayor Dale Alessandrini said he’d encountered rumors similar to the one above and followed up with phone calls to a number of area motels. “There’s nobody coming in,” he said.

Kevin Sullivan of Iron Mountain told the board that regardless of any rumors, his concern is “what the policy is for the future.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has said volunteers are needed to support refugee resettlement efforts in Michigan.

In a Feb. 12 press release, Whitmer called attention to Welcome Corps, which recently launched an option for private sponsor groups to identify a specific refugee or refugee family overseas and apply to sponsor their resettlement.

Under this resettlement pathway, private sponsor groups can —

— Apply to be matched with a refugee to sponsor.

— Sponsor a refugee who already has a case number for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program or the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program.

— Refer and sponsor someone who has been registered as a refugee on or before Sept. 30, 2023, by the U.N. Refugee Agency or by the government of the country in which they currently live or sponsor refugees of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan or Venezuelan nationality that had a Form I-134 or I-134A already filed on their behalf, prior to Sept. 30, 2023.

Sponsors are expected to provide support to newly arrived refugees for 90 days through acts such as greeting refugee newcomers at the airport, securing and preparing initial housing, enrolling children in school and helping adults find employment. Sponsors receive technical support from private sponsor organizations, which offer hands-on guidance to sponsors and refugees throughout their sponsorship journeys.

PSOs represent a diverse range of local, state and national organizations with expertise in refugee resettlement, ranging from traditional non-profit resettlement agencies as well as grassroots community organizations, the governor’s news release states.