Day: April 10, 2013

What’s wrong with this picture? Thousands swarm the Hill looking for amnesty while Iraqi refugees in Massachusetts find no work

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update April 11th:  Yikes! Here is another story that says Iraqi refugees in the US have a 67% unemployment rate, so hey Grover Norquist, champion of Open Borders for Business, hire an Iraqi (after all Americans get jobs that is)!

Over and over and over again we have heard the refrain for weeks (for months!)—we need more immigrant laborers (this in spite of the still extremely poor US job market)!   What the hell!  Then why are we seeing stories about Iraqi refugees who are about to end up in a homeless shelter for lack of work?

And, this is what really ticks me off—among those demonstrating today on Capitol Hill are at least two US government refugee resettlement contractors (two that I know of!).   The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (two of nine contractors who monopolize refugee resettlement), urged their groupies to go protest and demand legalization of the millions of workers who will make it even harder for Muna Al-Hamood and her husband to find work!

From WBUR Boston:

One of the ESL students is Muna Al-Hamood. She arrived in Massachusetts three months ago, after militants killed her son.

“I lost one of my sons,” she says in Arabic through tears. “I cannot imagine losing the rest of my children.”

Al-Hamood was a clothing designer in Iraq; now, she’s on the verge of homelessness. When I ask her for an interview, she looks at me skeptically, and asks, “What I am going to get out of this? Is my husband going to get a job?”

Her husband has not been able to find work since they’ve arrived. They can barely make ends meet. “I’m ready for my husband to work any kind of job just so that we don’t have to go to the shelter,” she says.

That fear of going to a homeless shelter is something new, according to resettlement agencies. [Let this damn agency spend their own privately raised money to keep them out of a shelter, or stop bringing them in—ed]

[…..]

Resettlement agencies help new immigrants from Day 1 — picking them up from the airport, showing them how to use the T, and vamping up their resumes.

Benedict-Drew: The government (you taxpayers) never give us enough money!  We are setting people up for poverty!

One of the largest agencies is the International Institute of New England in Boston’s Financial District. *[ They are a subcontractor of one of the other nine, USCRI—ed] The organization’s CEO and president, Carolyn Benedict-Drew, says part of the problem is that after the first month, refugees generally don’t receive rental help. The government gives them a monthly cash allowance — $428. (That amount goes up to $531 for a couple.)

“It is simply not enough,” Benedict-Drew says. “It’s never been enough, and it probably will never be enough. So, that is really a tremendous dilemma. And you almost feel like you’re setting people up for poverty. It is poverty. It’s a poverty level.” [ALMOST!  ALMOST!—ed]

Benedict-Drew says that first year in America is particularly rough for refugees because it’s tough to find a job, and there’s so little money in the pipeline.  

But, you are telling us we need more immigrant workers!!!

The article goes on to say we have a moral duty to Iraqis—then why are these very same contractors making legal refugees lives even more difficult by pushing for amnesty for illegals (undocumented Democrats!) who will take even more of the jobs that might have gone to Iraqis?

Endnote:  In its most recent report to Congress, the Office of Refugee Resettlement reports that 46% of Iraqis are unemployed and 95% are on food stamps.  Where is the morality in that?  Heck, Benedict-Drew draws a 6-figure salary maybe she could give Ms. Al-Hamood a little loan to tide her over and keep her out of a homeless shelter!

* Sometimes called the International Institute of Boston just to confuse you!

Israeli Interior Minister gets an earful about migrants in Tel Aviv

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is the latest news on the ever-growing conflict between African migrants and the residents of lower income neighborhoods in South Tel Aviv.  See our previous post, here.

I sure hope the US isn’t considering extending its Malta doctrine to Israel.  What is the Malta doctrine (my name for it)?  That is where we take illegal aliens off the hands of another country after declaring they are legitimate refugees when they are largely economic migrants.  (Just type ‘Malta’ into our search function and you will see how we have helped to make Malta an even bigger target for illegal aliens to aim for by holding out the hope that getting there is a ticket to America’s streets paved with gold!).

Here is the Times of Israel:

African refugees wait for a job offer near the central bus station in southern Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA/Newscom

Touring South Tel Aviv Tuesday, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that the issue of African migrants is one of the most vexing problems facing Israel, and that the government would keep working to deport illegal migrants to their nations of origin or to third countries.  [Heads up!  What third countries?—ed]

Billed as his first working tour in his new post, Sa’ar walked around Neve Sha’anan, a low-income and middle-class neighborhood in south Tel Aviv that’s become an epicenter for many of the tens of thousands of African migrants in Israel, to get a firsthand glimpse of the area.

“This is one of the most difficult, sensitive and charged issues Israel has had to deal with,” Sa’ar noted.

One of the main controversies surrounding the migrants is that the government permitted them entry but doesn’t grant them work visas, creating a situation that fosters crime and illegal activity. Residents have become increasingly vocal about their frustration with what they say is the government’s inaction on the issue.

“There’s no life here anymore. Everyone here lives in fear,” one resident said, while others complained that their businesses have greatly suffered in recent years.

“If they are refugees, give them what they deserve. If they’re infiltrators, then deport them,” a resident said as the minister toured.

[…..]

Human rights groups contend Israel isn’t doing enough for the asylum-seekers, including not giving them the right to work, and that it lags behind much of the West in handling cases of migrants seeking asylum. The government, however, claims that many of the migrants aren’t actually refugees but individuals seeking better economic opportunities. [Readers, by definition economic migrants are not refugees or asylum seekers under UN law—ed]

Funny thing how those border fences do work!

The stream of migrants into Israel, which saw tens of thousands enter the country, has slowed to a near-halt since Israel accelerated construction of a much-upgraded fence along the Egyptian border last year.

About the photo:  It is from this Jewish Journal article from January reporting that US activists are telling the Israeli government what they should do—let them stay and give them jobs!

American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee wants Temporary Protected Status for Syrians extended

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Not just an extension of time to sign up (which doesn’t end until September anyway), but a whole new designation so all the newest Syrians who got into America since the first TPS was made available can sign up too.

They all want in now that amnesty appears to be on the way!

Here is the press release yesterday from the pro-Arab group.  By the way the first TPS for Syrians was supported by federal refugee contractors Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), as well as the lobbying arm for the contractors—-Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), here.*

This is what they are really after:

The first TPS designation required that the Syrians applying had to have been continually in the US prior to March 29, 2012 and apparently many more have come after that deadline.  They want to be sure to get all their nationals signed up!    The ADC doesn’t say this in their press release, you have to go to the linked pdf —a ten page document addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano—to get the fine points.

As we have pointed out on many previous occasions, most recently here, there is nothing temporary about Temporary Protected Status!

* Makes no sense to me why refugee contractors who must find work for legitimate refugees (who are really struggling) support amnesty (and they do!) and other job-stealing forms of immigration like TPS.  The only thing that makes sense is that they are in the business of supplying future voters for the Democrat Party and to hell with the well-being of the people in their care.

Feds want “navigators;” have more money available to resettlement contractors

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Office of Refugee Resettlement has sent out an announcement to ‘come and get it’-–$54 million in grant money for non-profits to help the “needy” find their way to free health care through Obamacare!   Did I hear somewhere else that “navigators” will help their ‘clients’ register to vote as well?

Here is what Health and Human Services has sent around to Refugee advocates.   A linked pdf tells us this:

This Funding Opportunity Announcement has been developed to enable recipients to operate as Exchange Navigators in States with a Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE), as authorized under Section 1311(i) of the Affordable Care Act. Any State electing not to pursue a State-based Exchange for benefit year 2014 will have an FFE or a State Partnership Exchange in the case of a State collaborating with an FFE in a Consumer and/or Plan Management Partnership Exchange.

HHS will award up to $54,000,000 to recipients.

To learn more and get to the Cooperative agreement that lists which states (p. 8 & 9) will have navigators and how much money will be allocated in each state for navigators, go here, and then look for the “cooperative agreement” a pdf document.