Sioux Falls, Tucson, Lowell, Minneapolis, Bowling Green: More refugees on the way!
I’ve been collecting articles that have appeared in several states over the last ten days, all sounding a similar theme—basically all is well in “welcoming” American towns and cities which have become primary welcoming resettlement sites for the US State Department and its resettlement contractors.
It appears that early October was the target date for getting the propaganda machine cranking.
First we had the ‘welcoming’ news from “Welcoming America” about the ‘welcoming’ mayors, here. Then there was the release of the movie in a theater near you on October 3rd entitled “The Good Lie” which I need to see to determine which of many lies about refugees the film is promoting and is there any mention of the ‘bad lies.’
And, articles in papers in at least five states (surely others too which I have not yet seen) about the program and how fabulous (did I say welcoming?) it is. And, funny coincidence is that this is all happening as Obama released his new refugee plan for FY 2015 (which began on October 1).
You have to hand it to them, these people are really good at planting puff-piece propaganda!
Check out the articles yourselves and see what I mean!
From Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Befriending Sioux Falls Refugees) everything is hunky dory thanks to contractor Lutheran Social Services!
About 500 refugees arrive in South Dakota each year. Last year, Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota helped resettle 389 people in Sioux Falls and 146 in Huron.
From Tucson, Arizona (Refugees Seek Safety in Arizona):
Tucson’s reputation as a welcoming city for refugees goes back at least a decade.
One of Tucson’s resettlement contractors is Catholic Charities.
Catholic Community Services assists refugees with housing, case management and learning English. In a field of work where budgets are always tight, he said funding is an even bigger challenge for his organization than adapting to the various needs of the people they serve.
The number of refugees Catholic Community Services helps has doubled from 150 in 2003 to 300 in the present day.
From Lowell, Massachusetts (Lowell still a top site for refugees):
Don’t worry! Contractor, the International Institute of New England, is doing a bang-up job!
LOWELL — Refugees still come into Lowell to start their new lives in America, just as they always have, most notably Cambodians fleeing the Khmer Rouge. Refugees and immigrants have given the city one of the most diverse populations in Massachusetts.
The International Institute of New England’s Lowell office, the only refugee resettlement agency in Middlesex County, has seen nearly 300 arrivals in the past 11 months. As a city, Lowell trails only Worcester and West Springfield among Massachusetts cities expecting the most refugees in the coming fiscal year.
“Lowell, for a number of reasons, is still good for resettlement,” Derek Mitchell, director of the International Institute’s Lowell branch, said Friday at a meeting of refugee service providers at the Lowell Community Health Center.
From Minneapolis, Minnesota where the Hmong and Somalis are doing great we are told, here (published in Pittsburgh so residents there don’t put up resistance).
Finally, nonprofit refugee resettlement groups and political leaders in the region reached out to the Hmong, just as they had earlier to refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia.
Groups like Lutheran Social Service and Catholic Charities led the way in helping the Hmong find homes, jobs and English language classes, Mr. Allen said, and political leaders like former St. Paul mayor George Latimer openly welcomed the new refugees.
Last but not least, Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sen. Rand Paul’s hometown) is the most deceptive story of all (Refugees find new homes here). Who are these reporters that don’t seem to know how to use google?
We have a huge archive on Bowling Green and a big chunk of it is about the housing problems in Bowling Green, not to mention the crime and the Iraqi terrorists the resettlement contractors have brought in with the refugee flood. No worries! Bowling Green is wonderful and welcoming!
Hundreds of refugees resettle in Bowling Green each year through the International Center. The growing number of foreign-born residents makes up 10.6 percent of the city’s population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2012.
Sorry, I wish I had the time and the patience because this story is so blatantly a puff-piece it makes me want to scream!
Got a recent propaganda puff-piece where you live? Please put a link in the comments to this post!
You can bet all of these ‘welcoming’ cities will get many more refugees in the coming year and these articles were planted to help keep ‘pockets of resistance’ from developing.
By the way, if you missed it, see our FY2014 wrap-up here yesterday.