Everyone is buzzing about the ‘epic battle’ last night between Sean Hannity and Ellison here on Hannity’s Fox News show.
So, I thought this might be a good time to tell readers that Minnesota Rep Ellison, Congress’ first Muslim representative, is carrying the water for so-called volags (refugee contractors) by pushing “reform” of the Refugee Resettlement Program of the US State Department.
![](https://images.publicradio.org/content/2011/03/10/20110310_rep-keith-ellison_33.jpg)
Last fall (I wrote about it here) he introduced his “Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act“ and taking advantage of all the excitement over possible amnesty for illegals on the horizon, he re-introduced it in February.
Incidentally, I don’t see a single word of concern from the good Congressman about how illegal aliens are competing with refugees (and with American blacks) for jobs. (See abysmal refugee employment numbers, here).
Sounds like his bill is all about getting more refugees into the country and getting more money to the contractors. Contractors like Church World Service are singing his praises, here. Another contractor, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society likes his bill too.
Before I get to Ellison’s recent press release announcing his bill, remember that it is widely understood that Ellison was elected to Congress with the help of the large Somali refugee population in Minneapolis (Ellison’s district). Yeah! He wants to make Refugee Resettlement part of the “comprehensive” reform and bring in more voters from the third world!
Here is Ellison’s press release (with commentary from me):
WASHINGTON–Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-05) today reintroduced the “Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act,” to increase coordination and provide much-needed resources [more $$$ please!—ed] for new Americans fleeing war, persecution, or natural disaster. The bill is being introduced at a time when the momentum for immigration reform is growing. Congressman Ellison will be pushing to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform includes the issues of the refugee community addressed in this bill.
The bill streamlines refugee processing abroad [bring ’em in faster!—ed], while taking advantage of that time to provide refugees with English classes and work orientation training. It also allows refugees to be admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents, saving scarce government and non-governmental organization resources[$]. [Now they have to wait a year and apply for a green card—ed].
The bill also strengthens refugee integration into local communities. In particular, it expands the public-private Matching Grant program, which has been highly successful in helping refugees become economically self-sufficient. [more $$$ please because that is what ‘Matching Grant’ is—ed]
“With Congress addressing comprehensive immigration reform in the coming months, there is no better time to pass the ‘Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act.’ This bill makes sure refugee families have the resources [more government $$$ to my district!—ed] they need to be self-sufficient as quickly as possible, and allows families to be reunited with their loved ones. The ‘Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act’ not only helps the 34,000 refugees who have come to Minnesota since 2000 by allowing their family members to be granted permanent residency, but improves America’s image abroad.” [and so maybe they won’t become terrorists!—ed]
This bill is particularly important for Minnesotans. According to the University of Minnesota, Minnesota has historically had the highest number of refugees per capita. Between 1999 and 2007, over 34,000 people resettled in Minnesota, from 30 different countries.
Over 50,000 Somalis alone—many of them refugees—currently live in Minnesota. [and they elect me to Congress—ed]
For new readers, here are all of our previous posts on Keith Ellison.