Day: May 28, 2008

Somali refugee workers file suit over work uniform

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here we go again, another example of Somali Muslims refusing to assimilate,  wanting special treatment by not following the rules of their workplace.  Thanks to a tip from Eric, here is the story today at Hotair:

A group of Muslim workers at a tortilla factory have filed suit for religious discrimination after their employer required them to wear the uniforms that other employees wear. The factory claims that the loose-fitting scarves and dresses worn by Muslim women represent a safety risk. CAIR, who has unsurprisingly provided support for the lawsuit, says Gruma is simply bigoted.

Rohingya really want to be resettled in a third country

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is additional news on the visit to Bangladesh by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that I reported on earlier this a.m.    Antonio Guterres says that he would like the Rohingya Muslims to return to Myanmar (Burma), but it looks like many are saying ‘no thanks’. 

The repatriation program for 27,000 refugees has been unsuccessful to date because the refugees are unwilling to return to Burma out of fear of persecution by the authorities, a refugee source said.

A refugee source added that many refugees in Bangladesh are willing to resettle in third countries rather than go back to Burma, but only a few refugees were given the chance to resettle in third countries such as Canada last year.

The UNHCR has also arranged for the resettlement of these remaining refugees to third countries, and currently Canada is receiving the highest number of Rohingya refugees. UNHCR is also in discussion with other countries, including some South American and Southern European countries, about resettling refugees. 

I suppose if Rohingya are going to Canada and South America they will soon be in America too whether we like it or not since our borders are wide open.    As for a southern European country, I bet it won’t be Italy with the mood they are in!

Journal of American Medical Association reports high cost of vaccinating refugees in the US

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

A report in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says that our practice of allowing refugees to enter the US unvaccinated is costing the US taxpayer a bundle and possibly resulting in the introduction of preventable diseases.

I was surprised to learn that refugees can wait a year to be vaccinated.  

Since 2000, approximately 50,000 refugees have entered the United States each year from various regions of the world. Although persons with immigrant status are legally required to be vaccinated before entering the United States, this requirement does not extend to U.S.-bound persons with refugee status. After 1 year in the United States, refugees can apply for a change of status to that of legal permanent resident, at which time they are required to be fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). A potentially less costly alternative might be to vaccinate U.S.-bound refugees overseas routinely, before they depart from refugee camps. To compare the cost of vaccinating refugees overseas versus after their arrival in the United States, CDC analyzed 2005 data on the number of refugees, cost of vaccine, and cost of vaccine administration. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which suggested that, in 2005, vaccinating 50,787 refugees overseas would have cost an estimated $7.7 million, less than one third of the estimated $26.0 million cost of vaccinating in the United States. Costs were calculated from the perspective of the U.S. health-care system. To achieve public health cost savings, routine overseas vaccination of U.S.-bound refugees should be considered.  

They also suggest that preventable diseases may enter the country due to this practice.

In addition to cost savings, vaccination of refugees overseas has the potential to reduce importation of diseases into the United States and reduce costs associated with response to outbreaks. Refugees often come from areas where vaccine-preventable diseases are endemic (e.g., measles in Africa). During 2004-2007, CDC responded to 19 outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that occurred in overseas camps housing U.S.-bound refugees.

One thing JAMA did not mention, and maybe they don’t know, is that refugees can ‘disappear into the woodwork’ of America within the first few months of their arrival and no one even knows if they are vaccinated because the volags do not keep track of refugees they resettle. 

See our entire “health” category to learn more about other health issues related to refugees.

And, sorry for the lousy font in the quotes.  Either I’m incompetent or sometimes it seems Wordpress has a mind of its own when it comes to moving text to our blog.

UNHCR wants Rohingyas repatriated to Myanmar (Burma), but Canada taking some

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

A few days ago we reported to you that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, was traveling to refugee camps in Bangladesh to try to sort out the Muslim Rohingya refugee situation.  Here is a short article (posted in its entirety) in which Guterres told the press he wants to attempt to repatriate the Rohingya, something we should all cheer about.

However, when asked about third country resettlement the UNHCR chief does say there is resettlement on-going with Canada taking the most Rohingya so far.   We still have no confirmation that they are coming to the US. 

DHAKA, May 27 (Xinhua) — Bangladesh and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Tuesday agreed to reestablish trilateral mechanism with Myanmar to repatriate remaining 27,000 Rohingya refugees here back to Myanmar.

“Our intention is to reestablish the trilateral mechanism between Bangladesh, UNHCR and Myanmar to create condition for voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar,” visiting UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres told reporters after meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

According to the UNHCR, over 250,000 Bengali-speaking Myanmar Muslim ethnic minorities, popularly known as Rohingyas, took shelter in Bangladesh in 1991 following alleged atrocities by the Myanmar junta.

Bangladesh, UNHCR and Myanmar signed a trilateral agreement in Dhaka in 1992 to send back the refugees.

Presently some 27,000 refugees are still staying in makeshift camps in Bangladesh’s southeastern coastal district of Cox’s Bazarand hill district of Bandarban bordering Myanmar.

But the trilateral agreement is not working now.

Replying questions, Guterres said the UNHCR has resettlement program for the remaining refugees to third countries, and presently Canada is the highest recipient of the Rohingya refugees.

“Our preferred solution is to create the possibilities for the people to be able to go back to their home in safety, in dignity on a voluntary basis and to be able to be part of construction of their own country,” he said.

See our category “Rohingya Reports” for all the information we have on this Muslim refugee group.