Month: August 2008

Lawyers lament: Hispanic Gay Asylum seekers having a harder time staying in US

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

A couple of days ago the Washington Post published a lengthy feature article about how it is becoming increasingly difficult for gays and lesbians from Latin countries to seek asylum in the US.   The reason seems to revolve around increasing tolerance for homosexuality in countries south of the border.

Asylees are immigrants who get to the US under their own steam (as opposed to refugees who we fly here at taxpayer expense), and claim they are persecuted for one of many reasons in their birth country.   There are special lawyers in the US who then help them stay permanently.  Asylees are helped just like refugees with all sorts of special government forms of welfare.  I am assuming the taxpayer helps with the medical expenses of those with HIV.

… as Mexico and other Latin American countries begin to liberalize laws regarding homosexuality, hold gay pride events and expand treatment for people with AIDS, it is becoming increasingly difficult to win such cases, say asylum applicants, U.S. lawyers and Latino activists.

“For a time, it seemed like it was a slam-dunk if you were gay, from Mexico and filed for asylum in the United States,” said Arthur S. Leonard, a professor at New York Law School. “But there’s been a turning point. The gay rights movement has started to make progress in Mexico, and it’s a little harder to show” that asylum is warranted, he said.

The subtle, unofficial shift in immigration policy has significant public health implications, say leaders throughout the region who view asylum as a path to better treatment of people with HIV. Though many applaud the progress on gay rights and AIDS care, they caution that it may take decades to reverse deeply ingrained attitudes toward homosexuality that are closely connected to the spread of HIV in the region.

I’m wondering how the government and these asylum lawyers know if the immigrant claiming asylum is telling the truth.   Couldn’t an illegal immigrant coming across the border just say he is gay? Surely no one checks behind closed doors.

For more on this issue and the loosening of immigration laws to allow  HIV positive immigrants into the US see this earlier post.

Rohingya an environmental hazard in Bangladesh?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This article is a real head-scratcher.   It is published in something called the New Nation and is entitled “Using the media to communicate environmental risk.”   First its interesting to note that there are environmental activists in Bangladesh.  Maybe my view of that country is skewed but I envision it as a nation of poor people just struggling to survive.  Usually concern for the environment is considered a luxury in the third world and is a sign of increasing affluence.

But, here is a long paragraph from this opinion piece which ends with a curious comment.  After listing all the forms of environmental pollution the writer includes Rohingya Muslim refugees in the list.

Environmental risks, more or less, are now touching every sphere of our life. At a quick glance, more glaringly manifested environmental risks that could be easily identified in our country are: water pollution, misuse of agro-chemicals, unhygienic human habits, lack of sanitation facilities, effect of Farakka Barrage, recurring cyclones and floods, silting of river beds, large scale deforestation, etc. Moreover, there are other areas where environment hazards are present in different degrees. Those areas are: effect of shrimp cultivation, increase of salinity in the coastal belt, water logging in different areas, effects of wrongly built embankments, afforestation with exotic varieties instead of local variant of trees, downward trend of underground water level, threat of mangrove forest, industrial waste disposal in rivers, unhygienic situation in tanneries, noise pollution, presence of arsenic in underground water, growth of unplanned bus stations in the urban areas, emission of smoke from mechanised vehicles, brick-fields, mills and factories; presence of large number of unhealthy derelict ponds, continued presence of Rohingya refugees in our land, etc.

So, after dirty factories and ponds we have Rohingya?   Huh?  Then no further mention of how Rohingya are polluting Bangladesh.  One can only assume that the illegal immigrants, in this case the Rohingya, help degrade the environment.   Makes me wonder how big US environmental groups like the Sierra Club are incapable of noticing the same thing here.  See my post this morning on population increases in the US due to immigrants.

We have a whole category on Rohingya Muslims here.  This is one of the first posts I did on Rohingya.   They are actually from a region in Burma and are spreading out in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Pakistan.   Rohingya are also being resettled in the West, New Zealand and Australia.   They want to come to the US too and may already be here.

Immigration is responsible for shrinking US white population

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

By 2042, white Americans will be a minority according to new census figures.  Hat tip:  Dick.  Read what MSNBC says here:

WASHINGTON – White people will no longer make up a majority of Americans by 2042, according to new government projections. That’s eight years sooner than previous estimates, made in 2004.

Immigrants with high birth rates are responsible.  This is a good time to visit our link and watch (or rewatch) the Numbers USA video on this topic.

Somalis getting pink slips in Postville—already!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

VDARE on Agriprocessors, August 27th here.

More on Postville (August 17) thanks to Blulitespecial here.

Yesterday I told you about a puff-piece written by an Associated Press reporter and published in the Washington Times about how great the influx of Somalis to Postville, Iowa was going.   Blulitespecial gets a gold star for sending this link reporting that the bloom is off the rose already.

But, here is the more interesting part!  This article was published BEFORE the AP story was published in the Times.  The Times story appeared on the 11th and this article is from the Telegraph Herald of Dubuque, IA on August 7th.

What did I tell you, these mainstream reporters and editors don’t know about google!  Or, could they possibly have an agenda?

Here is what the Telegraph-Herald said on the 7th:

They have little else to do. The jobs that lured them to the small northeast Iowa community have vanished, and they are unemployed and unsure.

They are Somalis, and they are the newest cultural influx to the city claiming to be Hometown to the World.

Then here are a few interesting lines.  Note the Agriprocesors representative talks about how colorful the town is and how American (hummm).   And especially note the reference to whether all these Somalis are here legally.   Is there any question?   They all should have arrived here as part of the US State Department’s Refugee Resettlement program.

On June 23, Barkadle [Somali from MN] packed his belongings and he and his son, Kamal Maqadin, drove to Postville. Maqadin was looking for a summer job to help pay college tuition. Barkadle wanted a home, and Postville’s cultural diversity seemed idyllic.

Abrahams [company management] said the company offered just that.

“It’s a very colorful plant and a colorful town, which is the true colors of America,” he said.

Although Abrahams does not know the specific number of Somali workers, the father-son duo estimated 350 people from their African nation descended upon the town. Most claim they are legal citizens, and Abrahams said the company has installed systems to ensure that employees are documented and eligible for employment.

The number of Somalis remaining in Postville is now estimated to be 150.  Maqadin has received his pink slip for no reason, he says.

AP says everything going great with Somalis moving to Postville

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update August 13th:   Turns out it was never going great, see the latest news here.

About ten days ago we reported that the Kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, the one that was raided by ICE because it employed hundreds of illegal workers is now bringing Somalis from far and wide.   Things are just great, says the mayor (and the AP):

The city’s mayor, Robert Penrod, said the Somalis were blending into Postville’s multiethnic fabric.

“They kind of mingle among themselves, and they don’t bother anybody,” Mr. Penrod said. “Some of them have left because they don’t like slaughterhouses, but a lot of them have decided to stay for now.”

Mr. Ahmed admitted he is still adjusting to the area. Like Mr. Abdi, he came from Minneapolis, where he said he had family and a steady supply of Somali food, such as goat meat.

In Postville, Mr. Ahmed said, he occasionally eats Latino food in local restaurants, but hopes an authentic Somali eatery will open soon.

Mr. Ahmed also said more Somalis were beginning to think about Postville as a long-term option.

“We are wanting to bring in families,” he said. “But we all need to make sure this is long term. So far, so good. We came here because they were hiring quickly, and I stay here as long as I can keep my hours.” 

You know its interesting to me that although the Associated Press reporters must know about google, they never seem to pull things together.  You would think there might be some reference in this puff-piece story published in the Washington Times (of all places, normally not so politically correct) to indicate things have not gone swimmingly with Somalis arriving in rural towns.    Shelbyville, TN and Emporia, KS come immediately to mind!

Gold star to the first reader who finds an article that reports the bloom is off the Postville rose!