Month: February 2014

Utica NY: Latest concern is refugees driving drunk

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
In 2005, the UN was promoting Utica as the “Town that Loves Refugees.”
http://www.unhcr.org/426f4c772.html

Utica police and judges say the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees needs to develop a program to stem a growing problem of refugees driving under the influence.

Check out the information at the Resource Center’s website, here.  It was established by the Lutheran contractor, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

The largest number of refugees resettled there come from Bosnia and the refugee population is now 12% of the city.  In another report I saw that the refugee population is 1/4th of the “welcoming” city’s population, but that seems like a stretch to me.

Here is a list of the 31 countries represented by refugees in Utica.

From the Utica Observer-Dispatch (Hat tip:  ‘pungentpeppers’)  Emphasis is mine:

First, it was car seats.

Then, it was driving lessons.

The next expansion of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugee’s driving education program? Teaching non-native populations the dangers of driving under the influence.

“Driving while intoxicated is a foreign concept to them,” said Alban Uryniak, traffic and safety instructor for the center and former Utica Police Department sergeant.

Jean Skahan, training manager for the driving safety programs at the center, said in an email that drunk and distracted driving “is a growing problem among certain refugee groups.”

She said that Utica police and judges have requested the refugee center concentrate on this issue this year.

Most times when a refugee is involved in an arrest, Utica police Lt. Steve Hauck said alcohol is involved, though it is not always in a car.

“Sometimes, it’s driving; sometimes it’s domestic,” he said.

In an effort to combat the problem, the refugee center is pairing with the Oneida County STOP DWI Program to eventually offer workshops that would teach interpreters ways to communicate with the various refugee and immigrant populations about the subject, how to prevent it and explaining what might happen if they’re involved in an accident.

Language barriers are not the only things that could get in the way of the refugee communities that will participate in the workshops. Driving culture is just as varied as the languages people speak, Uryniak said.  [But, that diversity gives us strength—right!—ed]

We have several previous posts on Utica, here.  And, here, is one about a big food stamp fraud bust there.

Arizona: Iraqi refugee sentenced in bombing of Social Security Office

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is an update of a story we first reported in 2012.  Our two previous posts on Aldosary are here.

One more expensive legal proceeding for local and federal tax payers.

Abdullatif Ali Aldosary. “The court believes the defendant presents an extreme danger to the community.”

From the Coolidge Examiner.   Hat tip: Robin

A Coolidge man awaiting prosecution in state court for murder and attempted murder, among other charges, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison stemming from his Sept. 20 conviction of being a felon in possession of firearms and of ammunition.

Abdullatif Ali Aldosary, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on Monday morning in Phoenix. The judge combined his sentences, pointing out that he faced up to 10 years in prison on the three counts. Aldosary has 14 days to appeal his federal sentence.

Additionally, Aldosary was fined $7,500 and ordered to pay a $100 court fee. He was sentenced to three years supervised probation after he’s released from federal prison, ordered to participate in a mental health program and to have no contact with any employees of the Casa Grande Social Security office.

“The court believes the defendant presents an extreme danger to the community,” Bolton said during the sentencing hearing.

Aldosary is accused of setting off a homemade bomb at the Casa Grande Social Security office on Nov. 30, 2012. His federal court convictions stem from materials police found at his home after they arrested him the day of the bombing. Besides ammunition, they found paperwork related to how to make a bomb and other materials that could be used in a bomb. Because of a 2008 conviction in Maricopa County for aggravated harassment, a felony, Aldosary is not allowed to possess weapons or ammunition.

So much for that refugee security screening process we are always hearing about.  And, so why didn’t we just deport the violent man when his green card was first denied?

Aldosary came to the United States legally in 1997 from Iraq. In 2008 his request for a green card was denied because in 1991 he fought with anti-government forces trying to overthrow former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. He sought a green card a second time, which has not been granted.

There is more, read it all.

Israeli program to pay ‘asylum seekers’ to leave is working!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

And, the success so far confirms what the Israeli government has been saying all along—the majority of so-called ‘asylum seekers’ are economic migrants who do not have a legitimate claim of asylum, or they would be making it!

African protesters at US Embassy in Tel Aviv in January demanding to be allowed to stay in Israel.
https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2014/01/07/waiting-for-the-unhcr-to-blast-saudi-arabia-as-they-did-israel-yesterday/

From Haaretz:

A record 1,705 African asylum seekers left Israel in February, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Thursday. He also predicted that the wave of departures would continue in the coming months.

“This figure for the last month surprises me for the better,” Sa’ar said at a conference of Population and Immigration Authority directors in Ashkelon. “If the trend we identify continues, and I’ve been informed that it will continue into March, there will be a departure of enormous proportions from Israel this year. It is most important.”

February’s figure represents about 3% of the estimated number of African asylum seekers in Israel. The monthly figures have grown since November, from 63 to 325 in December and 765 in January.

“We stood up to constant propaganda insinuating there were tens of thousands of asylum seekers, even though you know that a tiny percentage of them submitted asylum requests,” said Sa’ar. “This whole theory collapsed in the last months when it turned out there was a large exodus of those who came for economic reasons and figured that in a day or two he would no longer be able to work and earn money, so we see a definitive change in direction.”

Sa’ar showed the statistics on a placard headlined “Voluntary departure data – illegal infiltrators” to make his point. Each African asylum seeker who leaves Israel through the end of next month is entitled to a $3,500 government grant.

Maybe we could try this in America!  The only difference is that the Israelis now have an almost impenetrable border fence, so more are not on the way.

Back to Haaretz:

There was a recent flurry of criticism when it was learned that some of the migrants chose to go to Uganda rather than to their home country.  But, leave it to a US refugee resettlement contractor, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to stick its nose into Israel’s business (see our previous post here).

It remains unclear what, if any, agreement was made with Uganda. The Jewish-American Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society contacted the director of refugee affairs in the Ugandan prime minister’s office, and he responded that he did not know of any arrangement with Israel.

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is one of nine major US resettlement contractors who resettle refugees for the US State Department in your cities and towns.   The US taxpayer supplies them with about half of their entire annual budget.  Their past CEO collected a salary in excess of $300,000 a year and we can assume their new one does as well.  Can it be called do-gooder-itis with a salary like that?

For new readers, we have 147 previous posts in our category ‘Israel and refugees’ here.

Maine brain drain! Reverse it with asylum seekers says developer turned spiritualist

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Richard Berman stands in front of Hope House. Berman wants to welcome asylum seekers to brain-drained Maine!

He says the City of Portland “gets it,” but the rest of Maine needs to “wake up!”

We’ve learned recently that as many as 70% of asylum claims are fraudulent, then there is the big NYT story about the Chinese frauds, and just this morning we learned of a large asylum fraud bust in Maryland, but if Mainers, like Richard Berman, want to lure them to Portland with free housing (welfare) until their claims are processed, Maine can have them if they promise to keep them!

Here is the story from the Bangor Daily News. Hat tip: Joanne.  Head honchos from the US State Department were in Maine last week for a PR tour.

PORTLAND, Maine — From home to school to work, the lives of refugees and asylum seekers received closer looks from federal and city officials this week.

On Friday, Feb. 21, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard visited Portland Adult Education and several local businesses to see how refugees and resettlement agencies are faring. Richard was accompanied by Lawrence Bartlett, state department director of refugee admissions.

Asylum seekers are not eligible for welfare nationally until their claims are approved, but in Maine, as we mentioned here recently, they do get welfare support and now they get housing thanks to developer/philanthropist/spiritualist Richard Berman.

On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Brennan cut the ribbon at ceremonies marking the opening of Hope House at 14 Sherman St. The apartment house has been home to 13 Africans seeking political asylum for almost six months.

Hope House, which was bought by developer Richard Berman and operated by the nonprofit Hope Acts, solves the most basic question asylum seekers such as Hugues Ingabire, 21, face when they arrive in Portland.

Berman says that Maine doesn’t have enough brains so they need asylum seekers and refugees to make up the shortfall.

Berman said welcoming and getting asylum seekers settled is a benefit to Maine’s future.

“This is the reverse of the brain drain,” he said.

Berman:  Wake up Maine!

Publicist Jen Dimond said she wants Brennan and other Hope House visitors to see the success of the collaboration between Berman and Hope Acts because it is understood the city does not have the resources to provide the full measure of help to refugees and asylum seekers.

Berman said city officials are doing what they can, even though there are limits.

“It seems like the city gets it,” he said. ‘It is the state that needs to wake up.”

So who is Richard Berman—the brain behind the plan for Portland?

Here is an article from last September that tells you all you need to know!

PORTLAND – Richard Berman is not your typical developer

Over the last 40 years, Berman has gained a reputation as a philanthropist, as well as a developer who values community engagement, “smart growth,” historic preservation and affordable housing.

Berman is drawn to mysticism and meditation. He was born and raised Jewish, before turning to Eastern religions. He now attends St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Cape Elizabeth and serves on the Maine Council of Churches.

“Just because you’re a real estate developer doesn’t mean you’re not spiritual,” Berman quipped.

Next month, the Cape Elizabeth resident will turn 68 years old and steer a new course in his career. Berman says will “semi-retire” so he can turn more of his full-time attention to philanthropic endeavors, without having to worry about profit margins.

“I want to turn my talent and treasures to good use,” Berman said. “I’m turning my attention to more spiritual matters like immigration and homelessness.”

Do-gooder-itis?  Or something else?

For new readers, we have an extensive archive on Maine, here. Be sure to check out one of our top posts for the last few years (from 2009)—-Maine the welfare magnet—about how the US State Department and Catholic Charities helped start the migrant stampede to Maine.

Maryland: Asylum fraud case busted, 70 fake asylum seekers involved

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Mugshot for Gasim Manafov from NC (assume this is our man)

We don’t know how many of the seventy fraudulent asylum claims were actually approved, but yesterday the ring leader,  Gasim Manafov, was sentenced to a measly 18 months in prison for his role in helping them prepare their lies for immigration rulings.  Two co-conspirators got one and three months respectively.   No mention of the deportation for the criminals after release from prison.

And, I wonder who were the immigration lawyers Manafov must have worked with!

Just a reminder: once someone is granted asylum they become “refugees” with extensive welfare benefits available to them.  They also can avail themselves of the ‘services’ of the refugee resettlement contractors.

From WBOC-16.   Hat tip: ‘pungentpeppers:’

BALTIMORE, Md.- An Ocean City Man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release for conspiring to commit immigration fraud, federal prosecutors announced.

According to his plea agreement, 36-year-old Gasim Manafov, both of Ocean City, and Charlotte, N.C.. worked with others in assisting about 70 people in fraudulently applying for asylum benefits from 2007 to 2012. The plea agreement stated Manafov gave fake stories, complete with fake foreign documents, to describe how the person’s family was hurt or killed due to their political or ethnic background. Court documents show Manafov prepared the applicants for interviews and then attended the interviews.

The plea agreement also stated Manafov referred applicants to a co-conspirator knowing that they would engage in a fraudulent marriage for immigration purposes. Court documents also said Manafov suggested a woman apply for immigration benefits to avoid further trouble and coached her on how to lie when asked about it. The agreement said Manafov received $210,000 from those who fraudulently applied for asylum benefits.

Two other conspirators previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to one and three months in prison, respectively.

The ICE press release on the case is here.

Every time I see a story like this one I want to know where the criminal is from and how he came to be legally in America.  It is a very rare story that ever mentions that (this one does not).

Checking around for the name Manafov, look at this very cool graphic I found!  It is only the web popularity of the name, but check it out here.  There is also a similar graphic for the name Gasim and it is a first name in several Muslim countries.

Asylum fraud is turning out to be one of the hottest immigration topics going these days.  See some of our recent posts on the crooks and cheats by clicking here.