Swedish high court assures Somalis will receive asylum

From Esther at Islam in Europe blog (story originally here):

Sweden’s highest migration court made a landmark decision on Tuesday regarding asylum seekers from conflict-ridden areas, opening the way for Somalis to receive permanent residence in Sweden.

[….]

In the past, migration courts throughout Sweden had ruled on petitions from Somalis in various manners, with some recommending permanent residence and others deportation. In line the high court’s decision, however, Somalis will now most likely be granted permanent residence.

If things get too bad in Sweden, note that Canada has just made a decision to accept a persecuted white asylee from South Africa, here.

By the way, since we are on the subject of Sweden, this old post I wrote in March about Sweden continues to be one of our most read posts and I have no idea why that would be.

South African white guy given asylum in Canada

I don’t know the background of this case, but it appears that Canadian politicians are all in a tizzy because a white South African, claiming persecution in the “rainbow nation,” has been granted (at least for the moment) asylum in Canada.

Former Canadian prime minister Joe Clark believes the decision to give “racial oppression victim” Brandon Huntley refugee status in Canada should not have happened.

A diplomatic row erupted last month when Huntley, 31, was granted refugee status in Canada on August 27 after claiming he had been attacked because of his race.

In his application Huntley, who grew up in Cape Town, claimed he was persecuted as a white man in South Africa, had been the victim of seven attempted robberies and that the South African government was doing nothing to protect him.

But the Canadian government is challenging the board’s decision in the Federal Court. “Most Canadians were astounded by the ruling,” said Clark. He refused to speculate whether Huntley would be deported.

Why “astounded?”  Isn’t it possible that persecution and bigotry can go both ways.

Gee, makes you wonder doesn’t it—maybe someday French, Germans, Swedes, Danes, Dutch and the Brits can ask for asylum in the US.

Comment worth noting: ‘Mad in Maine’ wants to know what she can do

In response to my post this morning about another immigrant food stamp scam, this one in Utica, NY, here.    Frustrated ‘Mad in Maine,’ a lady we met a few days ago (here), is asking what she can do.

Back again and getting Madder in Maine.

We’ll pay for public defenders and use tax dollars to keep them in jail/prison. Our tax dollars are probably the money they’re going to use to bail out as well. I say send them home. If they can’t follow the rules here, they shouldn’t be here. I have to follow the rules.

This is another thing that’s really grating my cheese today. I have to budget $100 for our weekly shopping trip that will include groceries for the next week (and hopefully a few things I can put in the freezer for upcoming meals), toiletries, paper products (toilet paper, as I refuse to use leaves even in Maine) and cleaning and maintenance products. I’ve heard of some refugees (of all nationalities) using food stamps to buy grocery items that they then turn over to the resturants and shops their families/friends/neighbors own, to ultimately sell back to us!!

Mortgage payment due, car insurance due, electric bill due…I still haven’t turned the furnace on though.
And I’m about to lose another part on my old car…hopefully it will hold out until next payday.

I guess I have a really big question: Is there anything I can do to help put a stop to all of this?

Mad in Maine

First, I don’t think any one person can stop all this, look at ACORN for example, people have been investigating the fraud there for years and finally it took one daring effort by a couple of brave young people to finally push the whole issue into the mainstream.  Few of us are going to become James O’keefes or Hannah Giles, but we can do our  little bit within the framework of our lives.   My first admonition to ‘Mad’ and everyone else, is to find your role and focus like a laser on it.   I don’t know you, ‘Mad in Maine’, or what sort of person you are or how much time you have so these suggestions are for you and all of our other angry and frustrated readers to think about.

1) Write a blog.  Don’t just run your mouth with your opinions, but pick a topic and become an expert on the topic (you can still throw out your opinions!).  Research and provide a service to your readers.  Eventually, if you are patient, what you do will have an impact.  You could for instance write a blog about welfare/food stamp/home health care fraud in Maine, or the whole US.  Or, write a blog about immigration issues in Maine.  There is enough material out there for that for sure!  And, there are very few real investigative reporters anymore, so this is a sorely needed job.

Don’t be deterred by computer technology.  Blogs like this one are really simple and free.  Oh, and one more thing.  To fit blogging into your life, you can write posts as often as your schedule allows.

2)  Get involved in local and state politics.  Goodness knows you have a couple of US Senators in Maine who need their backbones stiffened from time to time.   I don’t know what city you live in, or are near, but you could get involved there too.

3)  Write letters to the editor.  I was at a meeting this past weekend and a few people told me they set google alerts for some topic (like illegal immigration) and then when they see an article, even in another state, they write a letter to the editor in response.

4)  Join a group that is fighting for the same things you are, and become involved enough to run a local chapter.  Maybe a local Tea Party, Beck’s 9/12 Project, Federation for American Immigration Reform, NumbersUSA and so forth.

5)  I know some people who have built e-mail lists and they send out articles daily to their lists on given topics.

6)  Here is a suggestion for the ‘skulker’ personality.  Pick a subject that you are personally passionate about.  I’m thinking more about local type issues.   Dig into documents, use the Freedom of Information Act or your states open government laws, attend meetings of groups you oppose or are promoting what you object to, and basically gather information to make a case someday to expose the whole corrupt business–whatever it is.

7)  If you are someone most comfortable in a circle of local people, get together with others who have the same concerns and jointly make a plan for what you can do.

Those are just a few ideas.  But, I need to emphasize again, don’t get frustrated if you can’t work at this every minute of the day. Don’t be a gadfly either.  Pick your project, focus and know that you are doing your little piece to save America.  I hope that helps!

The Immigration Managers series, excellent source of information on legal immigration programs

David North, an associate at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has been blogging on “Immigration Managers.”   For those of us confused by the myriad federal programs involved in immigration, it is a handy resource.    Here is the one on the US State Department and the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

Readers are encouraged to go to Mr. North’s blog, here, and see the other posts in the Immigration Managers series.  Also, see his “who’s who” series on the Washington insiders making immigration policy.

Just a reminder, we have a category entitled ‘where to find information’ in which we have posted links to all sorts of documented information on refugees and immigration in general, here.

More Muslim food stamp scammers arrested, Utica, NY this time

Here we go again (and I am sure I’ve missed a bunch of these stories)!  This food stamp fraud story comes to us from Utica, NY where 12 Yemeni Muslims were indicted for scamming us, the US taxpayer, out of $2 million!  What is so interesting about Utica is that there is likely a huge vulnerable refugee population since it is one of the primary cities to which refugees were resettled in recent years.   See this post from nearly two years ago where the Brookings Institution ranked Utica-Rome, NY as having the highest concentration of foreign-born residents in the US.

As a matter of fact, refugee advocates call Utica the “city that loves refugees,” here—  prime territory for Muslim convenience store fraudsters!

The eight Utica residents rounded up in an alleged $2 million food stamp fraud scheme have been released from federal custody and now have until Friday, Oct. 16, to post $5,000 bail, authorities said Wednesday.

Their passports were seized when they were arrested. [and that will keep them in the country?]

In coming weeks, federal prosecutors will meet with lawyers representing the convenience store owners and employees who were indicted Tuesday.

For new readers this is how the basic food stamp fraud scheme works:

Those arrested at six city convenience stores allegedly swiped cards that each held hundreds of dollars in food stamp benefits. They then reportedly handed customers cash instead of food and kept a percentage of the value of the food assistance cards, officials said.

[….]

The scheme was carried out over the last 18 months and netted the store owners and employees more than $2 million, according to an indictment handed up by a federal grand jury.

So what might those who got away to Yemen have been—bag men perhaps?  Are your food stamp dollars at work funding Jihadists?

Arrested were: Muteea Alfahdd, 41; Najeeb Abdullah, 44; Hamoud Yafal, 60; Ali Hamoud Yafal, 21; Yaser Saet, 27; Bakri Ali Samet, 33; Setha Samnang, 42; and Rina Samnang, 36.

There are four still at large and believed to be in Yemen. They include: Nageeb Alghaheim, 24; Mohamed Alshuja, 30; Hassan Mohamed Nagi Alshegaa, 23; and Ali Mulhi Abdullah, 36.

I first became interested in Muslim convenience store food stamp scams when it happened in Hagerstown, MD, but I assure you, based on the many reports we have posted here, this is going on in your city too!

By the way, not surprisingly food stamp usage is way up among refugees.  Usage was already up in 2006, here, imagine what it is today!