Maryland Governor O’Malley calls UACs “refugees,” doesn’t know what he is talking about

I’m reporting on what an uninformed governor says only because this governor wants to follow Obama to the White House.  So, all readers across the US, keep track of Martin O’Malley’s positions—he is a leader in the Democrat Party for Open Borders (no borders!) and has facilitated the growth (with tax dollars) of the notorious CASA de Maryland.

O’Malley (left) hoping to be the next O-man in the White House. Rumors abound that Obama doesn’t like O’Malley, but his policies will be the same as Obama’s.

Here is what he said to a Hispanic advocacy group in Washington on Thursday about the Unaccompanied Alien Children.

Maryland has received the largest number per capita of any state we are told.

From Southern Maryland Online:

WASHINGTON (Sept. 11, 2014) — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, in his keynote address to the Hispanic National Bar Association’s annual conference Thursday morning, called on the association’s members to help in his state’s efforts to provide pro bono representation for the large numbers of unaccompanied minors who’ve crossed the U.S. border this year to escape violence in Central America.

“When unaccompanied children fleeing violence in Central America arrive at our doorstep, it is not only for their good, but for our good and the good of the nation that our children will share with them that our nation should act hospitably and revere the human dignity and the courage that those children have possessed,” he told a crowded ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington.

O’Malley, who is considering a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, came under fire earlier this year when he openly criticized President Barack Obama’s plan to deport many of the children back to the countries from which they fled.

“We are Americans, and we do not return refugee kids who find themselves on our doorstep back into war-torn or famine-racked places where they will face certain death,” O’Malley told reporters in mid-July. “I think we have to act like Americans.”

Since then, Maryland has accepted 2,804 children, according to the latest figures from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the largest number of refugees per capita of any state in the country. Each is currently living with family or friends while awaiting deportation hearings.

Nebraska pro-immigration lawyer explains why the “children” are not refugees.

Coincidentally I came across this news item at the same time as the O’Malley disingenuous comment where a pro-immigration lawyer tells the public why the children are not “refugees.” Yet anyway!

Unaccompanied minors from Central Nebraska cannot be granted refugee status because people are classified as being refugees before ever arriving in the United States, Maynes said. That is why Sudanese and Somali immigrants – who actually lived in refugee camps – are legally considered refugees.

She said the question for unaccompanied minors is whether they can be classified as seeking asylum, a designation given to immigrants after they arrive in the U.S. Although in different categories, refugees and asylees must meet at least one of the same criteria to receive those legal designations under U.S. immigration law.

Both refugees and asylees must have a “well-founded fear of persecution” because of their political opinions, religion, nationality, race or for being a member of a protected social group, Maynes said. She said some immigration lawyers are arguing that unaccompanied minors should be part of a protected social group because as children, they are vulnerable to the predations of Central American gangs.

Of course the important point is that the Open Borders advocates and lawyers are working toward turning the “children” into legitimate asylum seekers by stretching the definition of “refugee” and thereby making anyone in the world, claiming to be escaping crime, eligible for entry into America.

Go here for all of our coverage of the ‘unaccompanied minors.’

How many Iraqi refugees came to America since 9/11? How are they doing?

In our earlier post this morning, we reported that the US State Department is going to begin bringing in Syrians (at the UN’s direction) on par with what we have done for Iraqis.  That reminded me that I wanted to pull together the Iraqi resettlement data.

We are on our way, as this fiscal year ends in a few weeks, to 115,000 Iraqis admitted to the US since 9/11.  Approximately 62% are Muslims (71,300).  How do we know?

Recently a reader sent me some numbers for Iraqi refugees from a data base kept by the US State Department that only select people have access to.  It was the data base of religions refugees bring to America.  Our reader said that of 111,854 Iraqis admitted since 2003, 42,137 are Christians. (38%).   I don’t have access to the religion data, but I did want to check the total numbers for myself.

I don’t come up with 111,854 (I get 111,731, but it’s close and we could easily reach 115,000 by the end of the fiscal year).  This information below comes from data tables at the end of Annual Reports to Congress, here.

Iraqi refugees who were ultimately convicted on terrorism charges were arrested in KY and caused a dip in the numbers for 2011.

From 1983-2002:  we resettled 41,549 Iraqis

From fiscal year 2003 to August 31, 2014:

2003:  294

2004:  65

2005:  186

2006:  189

2007:  1,605

2008:  13,775 (this was a George Bush year)

2009:  18,709

2010:  18,016

2011:  9,388  (Assume this dip is because of the Iraqi terrorists arrested in KY which resulted in a federal freak-out and a re-do on the security screening of Iraqis).

2012:  12,233

2013:  19,500

2014 (11 months of the fiscal year): 17,771

Bottom line is that we are approaching 115,000 Iraqis admitted to the US in the last 12 years (the State Dept. and contractors will make a big push this month to hit their targets and so I am guessing they will reach 115,000).

How are they doing? 

See the special section on Iraqi refugees in the 2012 ORR Annual Report to Congress (the most recent data available) beginning on page 110.

Not so hot!

~The overall US unemployment rate that year was 7.6%, the Iraqi unemployment rate was 22.6% (but up from 40% or so in some previous years).

~Of those not looking for work, 33.6% had poor health or disabilities.

~The average hourly wage for Iraqis who were working was $9.79 per hour.

~ORR says that the goal is self-sufficiency in 3 months, but only 21% got their first job in 6 months and welfare continued.

~60% were on Medicaid or Refugee Medical Assistance.

~82% were receiving food stamps.

~58% were receiving some sort of cash assistance.

~36% were getting SSI (Supplemental Security Income).

The report tries to put a happy face on it, but the numbers are abysmal!

Sure looks like we are importing poverty and you can expect the Syrians to be in the same situation when they begin arriving at rates comparable to the Iraqis—from 10,000-20,000 a year!

For ambitious readers, our Iraqi refugee category has 628 previous posts in it.

Update:  About the photo.  The photo we placed in this post this morning disappeared. This is not the first time, that has happened with the official photo of this pair.  Let’s see what happens with this one.

US State Department: We are bringing thousands of Syrians out of Turkey to the US

Syrians in Turkey: Yippee! We are going to America! Photo: http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-concerned-about-growing-tide-of-syrian-refugees-124104939/170711.html

Update!  If I had a million bucks I would bet that this offer to help Turkey deal with its Syrians was made to encourage the Turks to open their air bases to us.  According to Breitbart the Turks have said NO! to the air bases. I have seen evidence several times over the years that we use refugees for extra-curricular purposes of the State Department.  They can hide under their humanitarian white hat while using the refugees as bargaining chips!

Although there has been no big announcement from the White House rose garden, the US State Department (and their resettlement contractors***) seem unable to contain themselves and are announcing that THE SYRIANS ARE COMING!

The UN has already chosen thousands destined for your towns and cities, and I can assure you the large majority will be Sunni Muslims. (The State Department tracks the religions of refugees, but does not make those numbers available to the general public.)

So far we have had reports that Syrians will go to North Carolina and Ohio, but that is just the beginning.

If we are going to see numbers like the Iraqis in recent years, we are looking at 15,000-20,000 a year going forward!  And, by the way “next year” means fiscal year 2015 which begins in 18 days!

From Today’s Zaman (emphasis is mine):

Deputy Asst. Sec. of State Henshaw: Our resettlement program from Turkey will be the largest in the world.

The US has launched a resettlement program that will admit thousands of refugees currently in Turkey into the US as of next year.

“Our commitment is to do thousands a year over many years,” said Simon Henshaw, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the US State Department, as he talked about US plans for asylum seekers. [Note that they don’t say ‘until the conflict ends.’—ed]

The US program, which was just launched a few months ago, is part of a UN project for the resettlement of refugees.

“We are committed to being a major part of the UN’s programs to have some of the refugees resettled in the US,” Henshaw, who was on a visit to Turkey, told reporters during a briefing on US aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Several thousand refugees in Turkey will begin the process this year, but it will take nearly a year to come to fruition.

“Next year, you will see thousands entering the US. We are committed to a large program on a par with other large [refugee resettlement] programs in the past,” Henshaw stressed at the meeting held in the US Embassy in Ankara, noting that 100,000 Iraqis have been admitted into the US in the past 10 years.

[…..]

“Our resettlement program from Turkey is one of our largest in the world, and it will continue to grow,” Henshaw added.

And, it will grow by the year says Henshaw!

One last thing, I bet the State Department is not only telling Turkey they are going to be helped, but Jordan and Lebanon as well.

Action Alert!

The best thing for you to do, is to alert your Members of Congress and US Senators and make this an election year issue. Bring up the costs and question the wisdom of bringing more Muslim refugees to America when you attend campaign events this fall.  (Maybe fear of a backlash is why we are not hearing any formal announcement from the White House now—it will come after the November elections.)

For all of our posts on Syrian refugees go here.

***The federal migrant resettlement contractors which we have followed for years (Grant recipient big dogs (devouring federal cash) Baptist Child and Family Services and Southwest Key Programs  are new on the scene in recent years and mostly due to UACs.):