Update: Allahsoldier tells us its 20,000.
And, the school system is stressed with students not literate in their own language.
From Oregon Live:
Somalia’s ongoing civil war, which began in 1991, forced many families to seek shelter in neighboring countries. In 2001, charity organizations began bringing them to Portland, and the Somali population here grew to about 8,000, said Bashir Warsame, executive director of Southwest Portland’s Somali Community Services Coalition of Oregon. [Another ECBO—ed]
Last year, Madison had 25 Somali-speaking students enrolled in English as a Second Language classes, Vice Principal Roger DeVille said. DeVille said school officials have heard speculation that more Somali refugees could be moving to Portland as soon as December.
The so-called “charity organizations” are actually taxpayer funded federal contractors. Most people think that if Catholic Charities is involved, or Lutheran Immigration Services (two volags operating in Portland) that the funding comes from church collection plates—no it’s from federal grants.
Schools are challenged with learners who have passed the “magic time” (?)
“Some kids show up and they don’t even know what a pencil is,” DeVille said. “The older they are when they get here, the more frustrated they are with learning English because they’ve passed that magic time.”
Farther east, David Douglas High School has a high enrollment of Somali-speaking students in the David Douglas District’s ESL program. Principal John Bier said he believes families have come to east Multnomah County for cheaper housing. Bier added that because most Somalis are not literate in their own language, it makes learning English more difficult.
“That’s a real challenge,” he said. “How are you going to give them enough credits to graduate and also meet the demands for achievement tests when you’re not literate in your own language?”
Yeh, Portland, good luck with that. You know you can tell the federal government NO! to new resettlements. Other cities have!