Month: October 2009

Why do we continue to resettle refugees in dangerous Chicago slums?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update:   For the whole article from the Chicago Tribune that must have been published in segments, go here, to the Baltimore Sun.

This post was originally going to be about another bunch of Iraqi refugees being resettled in slums—in Chicago this time—but when I did a little research a name kept coming up and it rang a bell.  Where did I hear it before?

Here is the story from the Chicago Tribune:

Along the dingy hallways of a Rogers Park apartment building, the smells of fish soup, curry and other ethnic cuisine merge with the tinny scent of roach spray binding four floors of immigrants from around the world.

It was move-in day for Sattar Naama, a one-time mechanic who escaped Iraq to Lebanon in 2008 ahead of militants who killed a younger brother, who was an Iraqi soldier, and a sister who was with him. Naama and his wife arrived in Chicago in July.

[….]

What greeted them were roaches marching across their new apartment and a kitchen sink stained black. Such conditions illustrate one of the findings in the recent Georgetown University report on Iraqi refugees: Because of “insufficient” cash assistance, many of them land squarely into impoverished settings .

[….]

The math for refugees is unforgiving. In Chicago, the average cost for rent, a security deposit, food and rudimentary furniture is $1,550, according to state estimates. The State Department provides a one-time $425 grant per adult refugee.  [Edit:  They are always misleading reporters about the funding, it’s $425 per refugee and there is so much more each refugee family receives.]

Responsibility for the rest lies with local aid organizations.  [Edit: it always was supposed to be that way, it’s a public-private partnership afterall!]  In the last year, they scrambled to secure government benefits normally intended for the poor and worked hard to raise a relatively small $1 million by repeatedly approaching private donors contending with their own looming shortfalls.

[…..]

“The financing for all this is abysmal,” said Edwin Silverman, the refugee resettlement coordinator in Illinois.

Oh yes!  That is the name—Edwin Silverman!  Here is another story from the Chicago Tribune also yesterday about another Iraqi family’s trials in Rogers Park overseen by Mr. Silverman’s state office.

Then get this, just two days earlier than those articles, the Tribune ran this article about what a terrible time teens, especially from Africa, are having in the Rogers Park section of Chicago where they have been resettled.    Look who is quoted about the violence, it’s Mr. Silverman again!

They left violence-riddled countries like the Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sudan, only to move to neighborhoods in Chicago that were also beset with violence.

Teliane and Yoann Bakala were caught in the crossfire of bullets in Rogers Park; Prince Kannah was attacked inside the cafeteria of his Edgewater school; Ashal Yai always checks to see if gang violence is brewing on her street in Uptown before setting off on foot.

[….]

The refugees have contributed to a new documentary film, “A Fairyland of Violence,” that is being shown Saturday in Chicago. In the short film, the youths recall their personal experiences navigating a new, often-scary world where gangs and guns collide with their dreams for a better future.

Read the whole article for the litany of violent acts these teens have experienced.  Then here is what the “expert” had to say:

Experts say the struggle to fit in, which is always an issue for teenagers, gets blown out of proportion for many refuge kids. Indeed, the most vulnerable refugees are teenagers and the elderly, said Ed Silverman, director of Illinois Office of Refugee and Immigrant Services.

For African immigrants, Silverman said, there is the added difficulty of navigating race relations: “Getting caught in the middle between white prejudice and not being accepted by black Americans,” he said.

The clash is a reality for an increasing number of teens. The population of African refugees in the Chicago area has doubled in the last 10 years, he said. The region is now home to more than 50,000 African immigrants from 48 nations.

We are quite aware of the black on black violence in Chicago, afterall we just witnessed black young men beating another black student to death about two weeks ago.   So, why do we keep resettling refugees in crime-ridden slums.   One might think that Mr. Silverman with US State Department blessings is conducting some sick social experiment.  Frankly, as ludicrous as it sounds, what other logical explanation could there be? 

The only other reason I can think of is that progressives like Mr. Silverman (and Hillary at the State Department too) are purposely creating chaos and strife ala the Chicago/Alinsky strategy.

I remember now where I heard the name before—Ed Silverman.   It was here in a post about how Chris Coen formed the group Friends of Refugees.  He had gone to Chicago in 2001 to complain to the State Department and Mr. Silverman about how refugees were being brutalized in Chicago.   They obviously didn’t listen.

Please take a few minutes and read Mr. Coen’s report on how the State Department and Mr. Silverman treated Mr. Coen’s report on crime against refugees in Chicago.  And, consider that we have just seen Mr. Silverman speak as the expert about violence involving refugees in Chicago—what a joke!

Medicare fraud considered most profitable crime in America

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Apparently last night CBS’s 60 Minutes did a segment on how a massive fraud was being perpetrated on the American taxpayer by Medicare scammers.   I don’t watch 60 Minutes anymore because it had become so politically correct, but I wish I had seen this show.  Does anyone know if they mentioned how involved various immigrant groups are in the fraud?  Or, is that just one more area where 60 Minutes wasn’t brave enough to venture?

This is from Newsbusters about the program:

“60 Minutes” did a fabulous exposé Sunday on Medicare fraud that should be required viewing for all people who support a government run healthcare program in this country.

The facts and figures presented by CBS’s Steve Kroft were disturbing as were the details concerning how shysters bilk the system for an estimated $60 billion a year.

Kroft said:

In fact, Medicare fraud – estimated now to total about $60 billion a year – has become one of, if not the most profitable crimes in America.

We have on many occasions reported on how various immigrant groups, especially Somalis, have set up “home health care” services which then bill Medicare (Medicaid too) for fraudulent services and supplies.   See here, here, here and here for some of those posts.

This is from an article about Houston health care fraud which I reported on here, but I see the original link is now gone.  I’ll bet Eric Holder’s PC gang at the Justice Department had this removed!

Investigators say one reason Medicare fraud is on the rise in Houston is a steady influx of immigrants who, in some instances, consider gaming the government for benefits an acceptable practice, said one top Justice Department investigator, speaking on condition he would not be identified.

“There’s a real problem of health care fraud in recent immigrant communities — we see it everyday,” the official said. “One of the reasons is you’re looking at people who don’t come up through the educational system, they’re impoverished, they think this country is very rich, and they don’t view taking advantage of a government program as a crime.”

I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the medical transport service, whose poorly maintained van was involved in the death of Burundian refugees in Arizona, is involved in this medicare racket, here.

Also, I would like to know what connection SEIU has with this method of redistributing the wealth since they are so hot on expanding the number of immigrant home health workers and getting them signed up as members of SEIU, here.

There needs to be a  blog exclusively for Medicare/Medicaid fraud, maybe there is one, does anyone know?

Emerging Infectious Diseases: a useful site at the CDC

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Centers for Disease Control has an interesting section entitled ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’ that you might find a useful resource.    I came across it just now and note this recent article and study about the health of Burmese refugees arriving in Australia.

As we consider the cost of health care in America, the health of refugees should be considered.

We have a category here at RRW called ‘where to find information’ and I’ll post this link there for your future reference.  I found that one need only use the sites search function for “refugees”  (presumably the search could be narrowed to specific refugee groups) to find all sorts of interesting studies on refugee health issues.

Book: CAIR covered up immigration fraud by their own “attorney”

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

As I told you last week, here, I’m working my way through the hot new book about the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) entitled “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America,” and a chapter dealing with Muslim immigrants interests me.

CAIR hired a Muslim convert for its immigration law work at the offices of its Maryland/Virginia chapter by the name of Jamil Morris Days.   If you recall there was a big flurry in the news, generated by CAIR, a couple of years ago about how federal Immigration officials were slow to process citizenship papers for Muslim immigrants since 9/11. 

It turns out that one of the reasons was that this lawyer, who turned out to be a fraud, was taking thousands of dollars from poor Muslim immigrants to process their papers and then did nothing.   Days wasn’t even a lawyer!   The whole scam came to light only when about 30 victims of Days’ scam threatened to sue CAIR and CAIR responded by closing the office and basically tried to wipe out all records of the wrongdoing.

Here is a little passage from the book:

When CAIR discovered the fraud, it joined the fraud by covering it up and deliberately set out to conceal the truth about Days, not just from the authorities and the media, but from the clients he defrauded.  The only thing CAIR’s headquarters told his defrauded clients when they called was that he no longer worked for CAIR. That’s it.

Why?  In a word, money.  Immigration cases are big business for CAIR, a hook for bringing in fundraising revenue, which CAIR desperately needs.  Immigrants account for a large segment of the Muslim community.  If word got out that CAIR mishandles their cases, even steals from them, it would hurt donations from the community at large.

I would add that immigrants also account for large numbers of voters as well!

Read this book, it is jaw-dropping—thanks to young (brave!) Chris Gaubatz who infiltrated CAIR and came out with boxes of documentation about this supposed defender of Muslim civil rights.

What’s going on in Bowling Green, KY? A presumption of good intentions?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update November 2nd:  Bowling Green overloaded, refugees to go to Owensboro, here.

When I first saw this article yesterday from “welcoming” Bowling Green, I assumed I would be writing another of those puffy ‘refugees see first snow’ stories.  That’s what I call the template story that always begins with a recitation of the terrible circumstances refugees found themselves in that resulted in their resettlement to America where they struggle to survive with little federal money, but with the miracle of seeing their first snow comes hope for the future.   I swear it makes me wonder if there are actually professors that teach this style of writing in journalism school.

I started a little research and found there is much much more to whatever is going on in Bowling Green (a preferred community!) with one resettlement agency in particular.

So, here is the ‘snow’ story, sans snow, with some bits I wanted to mention before getting to other puzzling aspects that turned up in my research.

The article begins with the usual very sad story of how rough the Zaw family had it in Burma.   Now the Zaws are settled in Bowling Green where both college-educated parents can’t find work other than Mr. Zaw’s  job in a chicken processing plant.  I’ve followed so many of these stories that I can almost bet there is a chicken or meat packing facility somewhere near where the federally contracted resettlement agency has placed new refugees who must work or be kicked out of apartments—some within 3 months of arriving.

We learn that more than 15 years ago the city of Bowling Green was flooded with 3000 Bosnians.  Funny, what a coincidence that’s about the same time the meatpackers of Iowa were rewarded with Bosnian labor by the Clinton Administration!  I swear the head honcho do-gooders are really head hunters for big business!

Back to the Zaw family’s resettlement with the Bowling Green International Center:

Speaking of the Burmese, Tatyana Sahanic, the center’s refugee program director who happens to be Bosnian, says:

“There is the perception that this group is more foreign than the Bosnians,” she said. “They look different and many have lived in the jungle without electricity or running water so they have to learn very basic tasks like using a microwave or washing machine.”

Read on, there are lots of column inches devoted to how little they get from the resettlement agency and the federal government and on top of that they need to pay back their airfare (this article does not tell you that Ms. Sahanic’s agency will be getting a cut of anything they can collect from the refugee for the family’s airfare bill).

Many arrive with only a plastic bag filled with their belongings, and an IOU for the U.S. government for thousands of dollars for their plane fare. That amount can often range from $3,000 to $9,000, depending on the number of family members in the group. The refugees have three years to pay the money back before they are subject to negative credit, regardless of their economic situation, Sahanic said.

The caption under the photo tells us that Ms. Shanic’s agency, the Bowling Green International Center, may not be fulfilling its contract with the State Department.  Refugees are supposed to be supplied with basic furniture and clothes.  BTW, clothes are cheap, just stop by any local yard sale and you will know what I mean.

The Zaw family, Kaung (from left), 1-month-old Hay man, mother Yi mon and 4-year-old Hein Htet, are Burmese refugees who have been in Bowling Green for three months. Their apartment is almost bare with no personal effects adorning the walls and very little furniture. They are concerned about the upcoming winter and have few clothes and amenities.

How many Burmese are being resettled in Bowling Green?  Who knows because the article gives us two different numbers.

805 other Burmese refugees who have been resettled through the Bowling Green International Center since 2004.

And this:

About 500 resettled Burmese refugees have made their home in Bowling Green.

Of course the explanation for the discrepancy may be that 305 Burmese moved on shortly after resettlement by the Bowling Green International Center.

And, before I get on to who is the Bowling Green International Center, this little line was curious.  Why on earth would an Al Jazeera reporter be interested in a presumably Karen family?

The Zaws received special assistance from a journalist who worked with Al Jazeera.

What is the Bowling Green International Center?  Who are they?  Who are they affiliated with? 

I thought this would be simple, that I would just look up BGIC and find a website, but no such luck.    I soon found out they have two names—why?  Who knows!  According to The Idealist.org.

The mission of the International Center (Western Kentucky Refugee Mutual Assistance Association, Inc.) is to serve the area’s foreign-born by advocating for their rights, facilitating economic self-sufficiency, empowering communities, and supporting cultural integrity and family solidarity while assisting them to assimilate and contribute to their new country. We specialize in advocacy and services to the foreign born and serve refugees, asylees, and immigrants. We are a partner agency of U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)in the resettlement of refugees and asylees.

Affiliate of USCRI, the plot thickens.   Learn all about how USCRI itself has changed its name, here.   O.K. so since I couldn’t find a website for BGIC, I went to USCRI affiliates page and yup, there it is listed as the Western Kentucky Refugee Mutual Assistance Association, Inc.  There is a link for a website which no longer works, why?

Checking on the Form 990’s

My next stop was BGIC’s Form 990’s, but when there were none I immediately figured of course they would be listed under the Western Kentucky name.  Sure enough, here is their 2008 Form 990.  Check it out!  In that fiscal year (July 07 to June 08) they received $796,907 from government grants (that’s you!) in a total income of $1,001,667.  That’s 80% of its funds from taxpayers.

Scroll all the way to the end of the return and note that they claim to have filed requests for extensions of time to file because some third party information was not available.  By the way, when I look at these Form 990’s virtually everyone of these resettlement agencies files for extensions and virtually never has their Form 990 in on time, so that is no surprise.   This agency claims they couldn’t find the letters from the IRS allowing two time extensions—-great bookkeeping!

Political advocacy on your dime and how conservatives are outspent!

Now, have a look at this Form 990 for 2006 where 87% of this group (whatever its name is) was funded by taxpayers.   Yet, here they are involved in lobbying for an Amnesty for illegal aliens bill before Congress that year!

What gives here?  Why does USCRI use this group’s name interchangeably?  Is it to confuse the public?  And, most importantly how is it possible that this group that gets as much as 87% of it’s funding from taxpayers to care for refugees is busy advocating and lobbying for legislation before Congress?  

Hundreds of people from all walks of life gathered Sunday afternoon in front of the Warren County Justice Center on Center Street to show their support for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s recently penned compromise bill that would neither make undocumented immigration a felony nor send home the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living in America.

Carrying signs that read, “We love the USA,” “The USA was built by immigrants,” and “No man is illegal,” the group cheered and applauded as local religious leaders and human rights advocates spoke on a makeshift stage decorated with red, white and blue balloons.

[….]

The legislation in question is an immigration reform bill in the U.S. Senate, which would give legal status to illegal immigrants already in the country, while tightening border controls and implementing a guest worker program supported by labor. The original version of the bill, passed by the House of Representatives, would make undocumented immigrants living in the United States guilty of a felony.

[….]

The International Center supports the Senate’s reform bill, said Executive Director Marty Deputy, who helped organize the rally.

I think they all went to the ACORN school of community organizing that goes something like this: obtain federal grant money for humanitarian purposes (wealth redistribution), set up many groups so the public stays confused, and then use other people’s tax money for leftwing political advocacy. 

Meanwhile refugees like the Zaw family don’t have enough clothes as winter approaches.

For more information use our search function for Bowling Green.  We have several not so happy stories from that “welcoming” city.