***Update November 17***CNN says 27now. ***Update***More states here (scroll for updates).
Update of previous post! (Guess the NYT will have to update its map) New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan becomes the first Democrat to want an opt-out on Syrian refugee resettlement. Of course, we wonder if the US State Dept. will be honoring their requests, but you can be sure we will be watching with great interest! The govs may be soon get an unwelcome message on states rights.
From The Hill:
Fifteen Republican governors and one Democrat have announced plans to block Syrian refugees from resettling in their states in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued statements Sunday saying that they wanted to prioritize the safety of the residents in their states.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a GOP presidential candidate; Arkansas Gov. Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Indiana Gov. Mike Pence; Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant; Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker; Florida Gov. Rick Scott; North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory; Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate; Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; and Maine Gov. Paul LePage joined them on Monday.
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, who is challenging Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) for her Senate seat, became the first Democratic governor to call for halting the acceptance of refugees until the vetting process is reviewed.
More here. I don’t want to diminish this major breakthrough in garnering attention for this here-to-fore secretive refugee program, but tomorrow, when I get a minute I am going to have to remind readers about the thousands and thousands of Iraqi, Afghan, Burmese and Somali Muslims pouring into the US through the RAP (Refugee Admissions Program) every year as we fixate on the small number of Syrians so far.
I’m telling you they can’t screen most of those any better (especially those Somalis who have left Africa and traveled illegally to places like Malta in Europe where we scoop up their illegal aliens, call them refugees, and fly them to America—including toSouth Carolina as we learned earlier this year).
I’ve got to hand it to the New York Times, they sure can do some great graphic work! Look at this fantastic map (which doesn’t reproduce well, so check it out by clicking here).
[NYT has updated this map!–ed]
Those blue circles represent where Syrian refugees have been resettled so far (since 2012) and the states whose governors are now saying NO, are in yellow. Go to the original map because the cities are on it as well.
And here is how the NYT story begins. They have nailed it in the second sentence. Is this a state’s rights issue—do governors have any say in the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program? That is what we have wanted to know for the last eight years!
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, at least eight governors have said they oppose the entry of Syrian refugees into their states.Whether they have the authority to block them is not clear.
Continue reading here. ***Update*** Florida Governor Rick Scott joins the chorus, here. ***Update #2*** Now there are 16 governors total, here. ***Update #3*** Now Tennessee, here, a real shocker since Haslam has been a hardliner in support of more refugees for Tennessee. ***Update #4*** Herecomes Idaho! Christie is in too! ***Update Nov. 17***CNN says 27 (with map).
I’ve been out all day but have had a chance to listen to talk radio inbetween other things (there is life away from the computer!) and some of the numbers I’m hearing talked about are just crazy—the craziest number I heard was Trump saying Obama wanted 250,000 Syrians in the US in the next year or so. Now, perhaps deep down Obama would like nothing better, but he hasn’t said that yet!
Please consider that although this issue is extremely important, it is also important to be factual in our criticism.
And, just a reminder this has been going on for 35 YEARS through Republican and Democrat administrations. It didn’t start last month or the month before that!
By the way, if you seriously want to know what Obama is looking for this year, read his State Department’s PROPOSED REFUGEE ADMISSIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 REPORT TO THE CONGRESS, by clicking here.
He is vastly underestimating the $1.2 billion price tag, but presumably Congress will be wrangling with him over that (Senator Lindsey Graham and Patrick Leahy want toadd ONE billion to get more Syrians in here!)
Just a brief overview of where the numbers I’m hearing come from (in addition to the 65,000 the Jihad Caucus asked for and we reported on in the above June 2015 Youtube clip):
~70,000 is the number of refugees the Obama Administration has been proposing for resettlement in recent years, and they have been coming close to that (that is for refugees from all over the world). ~85,000 is the number of refugees he has proposed for FY2016 (from all countries). He said he would propose 100,000 for FY2017 which would be his last opportunity to set the ceiling, but he can’t and won’t do that until September 2016. ~10,000 of the 85,000 is earmarked for Syrians for FY 2016. 10,000 are not being sent to Louisiana.
We have brought around 2,000 Syrians since the civil war began (but I will next be rechecking that number)
~65,000 Syriansis a number that was initially proposed by thefederal resettlement contractors (aka volags) earlier this year (and that was after an earlier proposal to bring in 15,000 for each of five years, which we reported here in 2014). They wanted the 65,000 relocated here before Obama leaves office. ~65,000 Syrians is also the number 14 Democrat Senators*** (we called them the ‘Jihad Caucus’) proposed bringing in before Obama leaves office. ~100,000 Syrians is now the number being proposed by the refugee resettlement contractors. They want them here before Obama leaves office. ~250,000 Syrians is what Pres. candidate Trump says Obama wants. ***Update*** a reader sends this, it is Hannity who was talking about 250,000 first. See how Hannity gets to that number, here.
If anyone wants links for any of the numbers I’ve mentioned, please ask, because I don’t have the energy to put them all in here.
*** These are the 14 members of the Senate Jihad Caucus who last May (at the behest of the resettlement contractors) sent a letter to Obama indicating that 65,000 Syrians was a good number:
Dick Durban (D-IL)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Christopher Coons (D-DE) LOL! Delaware hasn’t taken a refugee in a couple of years!
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Edward Markey (D-MA)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI) LOL! Last I looked Hawaii took a whole 7 refugees last year!
I hope that helps clear up some confusion. Let me know if more numbers are being bandied about so we can run those down too!
….and a third, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, wants answers from the federal government. I had hoped to spend a lot of time this morning writing about the Governors, but unfortunately I have other duties today (of all days) that will keep me from posting all of the breaking news that is coming to us in the wake of the Paris massacre. But, LOL!, there are so many people writing about refugees now that I can soon retire!
Here (below) is the NYT on the governors (we told you about Michigan yesterday,here). What is so important about this news is that we are going to learn whether the governors have ANY POWER AT ALL TO SAY “NO” because we have long been told that they don’t by the federal refugee industry and its contractors.
If you are in one of these three states (Alabama, Michigan and Louisiana), you need to shore-up your governor now, because I suspect they are going to get hounded by the No Borders agitators and the refugee contractors (and so-called ‘church’ people) working there. Even if no Syrians have been admitted, or only a small number, you must make your voice heard now!
From the New York Times:
The governors of Alabama and Michigan said on Sunday they would not allow refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to be resettled in their states, citing the attacks on Paris.
Alabama Governor Bentley: American citizens’ security comes first.
“As your governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm’s way,” Gov. Robert J. Bentley of Alabama, a Republican, said in a statement.
In Michigan, which has a sizable Arab-American population, Gov. Rick Snyder, also a Republican, said his state would not accept Syrian refugees, and he urged the State Department to review its procedures.
Syrians have already settled in Michigan, with one agency relocating about 200 of them in the past year, The Detroit Free-Press reported.
“Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration,” Mr. Snyder said in a statement. “But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.”
Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana has asked White House officials for information on how many Syrian refugees have relocated to his state, The Associated Press reported. Governor Jindal, a Republican, said he sought the information “in hopes that the night of horror in Paris is not duplicated here.”
I wish I had more time to talk to you about Alabama and Louisiana as so-called ‘Wilson-Fish’ states (learn what that means here) because in those states (there are 12 of them), the state government has been cut out of the refugee resettlement decision-making process altogether with the program administered from Washington through a non-profit group. I’m not saying governors in other states have much (or any control), but in these 12 states, the state and local taxpayers are completely unprotected.
If Jindal and Bentley really want to do something they need to begin to understand the system in their states, and stop it!
We are going to see now if governors have any say at all!
Editor: For new readers, from time to time we post guest columns and comments from readers. All of those are posted in our category entitled, ‘Comments worth noting/guest posts.’ This (below) is very important information from someone who has worked for a refugee resettlement agency and seen firsthand the fraud being perpetrated on American taxpayers. It should serve as further confirmation that the US Refugee Admissions Program has gone seriously astray. From Disillusioned (why I support Rep. Brian Babin’sbill). Prepare to be shocked:
Ann, I started to work five years ago in the refugee resettlement field to serve as a Christian witness through service and assistance. However, I quickly became dismayed as I saw the rampant, but undocumentable, fraud committed by Muslim Iraqi (and Cuban) refugees. While I am sure there must be fraud among other ethnic/religious people groups, Iraqi Muslims are the largest group resettled in my area. The amount of fraudulent income reporting (and non-reporting) by refugee clients is disturbing and fiscally unsustainable.
Florida EBT card: Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency?
As your readers (should) know, the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act(H.R. 3314) places an immediate suspension on allowing immigrants into the United States under the refugee resettlement program, until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) completes a thorough examination of its costs on federal, state and local governments.
The following are some of the reasons I support this bill.
Average duration for which refugees receive benefits. – The refugees for whom I apply for state benefits (food stamps, temporary cash assistance, Medicaid) reapply for benefits every six months. The resettlement agency (VOLAG) can assist them with benefit renewal applications for up to five years! Many of these refugees, particularly from Iraq and Afghanistan, come into this country with cash, as evidenced by their purchase of new furniture, clothing, cars, and even homes, within a very short time of their arrival. This could not be done on strictly temporary cash assistance and usually, minimum wage jobs.
It is well known in the resettlement community and by the State of Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Refugee Services that many recipients work for cash, receiving payment “under the table” and never report their actual income to the DCF when reapplying for government benefits. Many of these clients continue to receive food stamps even after they have been here up to and over five years!
The percentage of aliens who receive benefits is 100 percent for resettled refugees. In my job at the VOLAG, I apply for food stamps, temporary aid to needy families (families with children) or refugee cash assistance (singles or couples with no children), and Medicaid. These applications are automatic and are part of the required resettlement core services.
Every refugee who is aged 65 or older automatically receives assistance in applying for SSI benefits! This is automatic, whether the refugee has any presenting issues, other than age, or not! Some refugees under age 65 are turned down after medical reviews do not reveal mental or medical issues. However, refugees aged 65+ are automatically approved for SSI benefits. Social Security Spotlight on SSI Benefits for Aliens – 2015.
It is common knowledge among VOLAG coworkers and employees of the DCF that many refugees commit fraud regularly in their (lack of) income reporting. We are aware of this fraud but have no paper documentation or proof. Certain local small grocery stores, convenience stores, ethnic restaurants, Halal meat markets, bakeries, and imported foods stores hire these refugees, pay them under the table, and the refugees continue to receive benefits for which you and I pay.
Here are a couple of other abuses I have personally seen:
A Liberian refugee entered the country legally but managed to get his adult son brought over as a refugee minor to serve as his caretaker. The son has verbally admitted to me that he was over 21 years of age when he arrived in this country but his fraudulent documents showed him to be under 18!
A Cuban couple entered this country with documents which show them as married, however, they verbally stated to their caseworker that they are not married and the “wife” plans to move in with friends. She will continue to receive benefits while her friends support her as she has “no income.”
A Muslim Ethiopian-Somali refugee abruptly quit his job when he found he cannot stop work to pray five times a day!
An Arabic speaking “friend” “translates” the driver’s license test for Arabic speakers in northeast Florida. His “friends” pay over $250 for a driver’s license as he gives the correct answers to them and for them.
RRW readers simply must find the refugee resettlement and immigration events in your city and state and SHOW UP! You need to know what is going on in your area. You need to “push back” and demand answers about the impact this is having on your neighborhoods, local schools, HUD housing, slum lorded apartment complexes, and your local, state and federal government expenses.
Yes, I know and love many good hearted, honest, hardworking immigrants and refugees. From my experiences, most of these come from the persecuted Christian Burmese, Bhutanese, Congolese and Sudanese populations. I have “gone to bat” for them as I’ve tutored in English, taken children to school, doctor appointments, church activities.
I encourage you to volunteer at your local VOLAG and, if you are a Christian, share the love of God in Jesus Christ with them. Whether you are a Christian or not, volunteer to help them assimilate into a free nation built upon Judeo-Christian worldview and values for the sake of your own children and grandchildren!
Ann Corcoran has done an Herculean job of researching and documenting information for you. Burn up her website finding out what is happening in your area. Use these links to do some research on your own:
Endnote: Besides support for Rep. Brian Babin’s bill (which I am told now has 50 co-sponsors), everyone must begin, starting today, to call your Member of Congress, your US Senators and the leadership and demand that they stop the funding for the Refugee Admissions Program for FY2016as Congress will be debating funding for the entire government in advance of a December 11th deadline. See my post here for more information.
