St. Louis refugee contractor wants to help make the area the fastest growing immigrant community in America by 2020

01/13/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

To further that goal they recently purchased a closed Catholic School (bye-bye Catholics) and are converting one room into a Muslim prayer room!

Readers, the International Institute of St. Louis is a subcontractor of one of the big nine*** federal refugee contractors—US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). USCRI is 99% funded with taxpayer dollars. More on the International Institute’s finances after this news.

Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the Institute: Formerly we had no place for all of our clients to pray! Where is the ACLU? http://www.iismo.org/aboutus.html

More cultural clashes coming to Missouri? Have we so quickly forgotten the recent Bosnian murder? African Americans don’t take kindly to refugees, who are getting a lot of government help, moving in to their communities!

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

In the shuttered St. Elizabeth Academy just east of Tower Grove Park, the tiny room with the small window used to be a bathroom, but it will now serve as a prayer room for Muslims.

The room has been emptied, the only addition a bar along one wall to hang prayer rugs.

It’s one small, but important addition to what is being prepped as the new home for the International Institute of St. Louis, which has helped more than 20,000 refugees legally resettle into the area by offering English classes and assistance in finding housing and jobs.

At its current location on South Grand Boulevard, the Institute has no designated place for Muslims to pray.

“I’d walk out and see men near the elevator or stairwell, in a corner with a piece of cardboard down, praying,” said Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the Institute, which has been in operation since 1919.

Adding the prayer room points to the ongoing challenges to serve refugees from more than 75 countries, coming to St. Louis with various customs, languages and beliefs. Since moving into its current facility in 1999, the Institute has more than doubled the number of people it serves, to about 7,500 a year.

“We feel we need to be above 12,000, and there is no way we can do that now,” Crosslin said.

The Institute also plans to enhance career development and job training opportunities. The efforts are part of the region’s goal to be the fastest-growing metropolitan area for immigrants by 2020.

[….]

When I arrived in September 1978, we served about 1,200 annually, primarily through our (English as a second language) classes,” Crosslin said. “There was no formal refugee resettlement program in Missouri — that happened in winter 1978-79.”

[….]

With immigration reform efforts nationwide and the St. Louis Mosaic Project initiative locally, Crosslin expects the number of clients served each year to reach 12,500 by November 2019, the Institute’s 100th anniversary.

If she is right, this will be an enormous jump in numbers for St. Louis. The whole state of Missouri “welcomed” just about 12,000 refugees since 2004. 2,564 of those were Somalis, btw. Most went to St. Louis and Kansas City, some were spread around the whole state.

So, if you are wondering where all their “refugee” clients will come from, these won’t all be refugees “served” by the Institute helping them find housing and get jobs—all of these contractors are getting geared-up to get federal bucks to “serve” the new Obama amnesty recipients.

There is much more, here at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When you read the Institute’s about page, note that they brag about doing free job counseling and training. It isn’t free! Taxpayers pay for this special help for immigrants and refugees.

Follow the money!

Here is the Institute’s most recent Form 990.

On page nine, we learn that the Institute that year (2012) took in about $5 million (rounded number) and $3.9 million came from government grants (78%). Interesting to see that they took in nearly a half a million for translation services. Remember I have been telling you all about the growing cost to “welcoming” communities for translation services for immigrants who run into any problems in schools, healthcare facilities, housing agencies and the criminal justice system. Costs of hiring translators falls on the local taxpayer and guess who is supplying the translators—looks like the same agency being paid to bring ’em in!

Crosslin herself isn’t a big dipper—she gets under $150,000 in compensation (nothing like the salaries of some of the biggies), but there is one line that interested me (I wish I had an accountant handy to explain!). They paid out $2.1 million in compensation to “disqualified persons.” (page 10, line 6). What is that?

Here is our complete archive on St. Louis, note the number of crimes either perpetrated by immigrants, or those (more often) perpetrated against refugees and immigrants.

*** For new readers, these are the big nine federal contractors. There are 350 subcontractors under them working in 180 cities in the US.

White House task force on NEW Americans wants to hear from you!

01/12/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Yes, you got that right!

Munoz stood by her man…. Photo and story: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/28/cecilia-munoz-quarterback-of-obama-s-immigration-reform-efforts.html

The task force was created in November, here it is. Now they are getting to work under the guidance of none-other than former La Raza (“the race”) agitator Cecilia Muñoz and the Director of USCIS León Rodríguez.

Titled, Call for Ideas: Help Shape a Federal Immigrant and Refugee Integration Strategy, here is what the White House put out today in its call (hat tip: Joanne).

You have until February 9th to help Obama with your ideas!

[skipped the first couple of paragraphs of today’s press release]

We are, and will continue to be, a nation of immigrants. On average, the United States welcomes approximately 1 million lawful permanent residents and more than 700,000 newly naturalized citizens each year. These new Americans contribute significantly to our economy. In fact, while foreign-born residents make up 13 percent of the population, they represent over 16 percent of the labor force and start 28 percent of all new businesses creating jobs for millions of Americans.

The goal of the Task Force is to develop a federal immigrant integration strategy that allows new Americans to contribute to society to their fullest potential and bring new Americans together with their receiving communities to strengthen communities.

By March 2015, the Task Force will submit a plan to the President that includes recommendations for federal actions to promote the integration of new Americans. In developing this plan, we need to hear from you. You know best what is working to support immigrant integration in your community. Send us input on promising practices and examples of model programs that help immigrants and refugees to contribute to your communities and our economy.

We also need your input to ensure that federal programs and policies continue to reflect our ongoing commitment to welcoming and integrating newcomers into the fabric of our country.

Please send your ideas and examples to NewAmericans@who.eop.gov by February 9, 2015.

Take the opportunity to tell them what is really going on!

LOL! I had to laugh at how well they got all their buzz words and phrases in there: “welcoming,” “newcomers,” “nation of immigrants,” “fabric of our country,” “receiving communities,” “new Americans,” and the winner is “integration” which was used six times not including in the title!

Readers, if you haven’t noticed, the word “assimilation” is verboten! Assimilation implies that the refugees and immigrants will become like Americans (speak English, learn our history, appreciate our culture and take on aspects of it themselves) while integration suggests, at least in my mind, just your basic polite tolerance for each others cultures producing the least friction as possible between the old Americans and the “new” ones and placing American culture on equal footing with all the others.

Letter: Why aren’t we taking care of our own poor people first?

01/12/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

If there is one question people new to the whole refugee process in America ask, it is that sensible, logical question. Below is a letter to the editor from the New Hampshire Concord Monitor from someone who is apparently helping the homeless with a true charitable spirit and not as a paid refugee resettlement contractor.

Veteran homelessness explodes in NH: http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/15/report-veteran-homelessness-explodes-in-new-hampshire/

Hat tip: ‘Pungentpeppers’ (emphasis below is mine).

To the editor:

We have been avidly following the series of articles on the homeless population in Concord.

Living in close proximity and volunteering within the community serving both the homeless and the refugees, it has become sadly apparent that our homeless population consists predominantly of American citizens. Many of them veterans and many without benefits.

Without a valid address or residence, one does not qualify within our system for food stamps or assistance. Why is it that we seem to continue to encourage and subsidize the constant influx of immigrants and refugees for whom we seem to always find living and housing accommodations for? Our food pantries are overwhelmed, supplies are diminished and dwindling.

Thank heavens for our local churches for stepping up to the plate, and providing both food and warm, safe shelter to our most needy, particularly during our cold and harsh winters.

As we continue to not only exist, work and volunteer within the capital city of Concord, we wonder why it is disturbingly apparent and profoundly troubling that the homeless population consists of American citizens.

We have yet to see a refugee sleeping in a tent or under the railroad tracks. Why is that?

EDDIE TORRES

Concord

Concord is a federal “preferred community” for refugee resettlement. I bet most Concord residents did not know they merited that distinction!

Readers ask me all the time what they can do, this is one thing that is easy enough and you should do it while we still have free speech in America—write letters to the editor!

Swiss People’s Party leader calls for ban on more Muslim refugees to Switzerland

01/12/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Of course their are howls of outrage from the Socialist Leftwingers calling it “discriminatory!”

Our ‘Invasion of Europe’ series continues…..

From OnIslam:

Wobmann was behind the successful campaign to prohibit the construction of minarets in Switzerland. http://islamizationwatch.blogspot.com/2009/11/switzerland-surprise-yes-to-ban.html

CAIRO – Calls by a far-right politician for banning Muslim refugees in Switzerland have been criticized by several politicians, who considered his approach “discriminatory”.

“It’s discriminatory, resolves nothing and contributes to an atmosphere of hate and witch hunting,” Martine Brunschwig Graf, head of the federal commission against racism, was quoted as saying by the Tribune de Genève.

According to an online report from Blick, Walter Wobmann, Swiss People’s Party (SVP) MP from Solothurn, has called for banning refugees from Syria and Iraq.

[….]

The SVP member, who was behind the successful campaign to prohibit the construction of minarets in Switzerland, warned that the government’s approach towards asylum seekers may foster extremism in the European country.

The politician’s anti Muslim comments were seen “unacceptable” by Carlo Sommaruga, federal MP from Geneva and a member of the socialist party.

[….]

According to the CIA Factbook, Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims, representing 5 percent of the country’s nearly eight million people.

By the way, in my analysis when a country passes the 3% mark there is almost no time left. The Muslim population is emboldened well before 5%. The US Muslim population is estimated to still be at or below the 1% mark, but some individual cities are well above that and much more demographic analysis is needed in the US.

Toronto Catholic leader: We won’t request Christian Syrians for resettlement first to Canada

01/11/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

….. we support taking “vulnerable” Muslims!

As Canadian readers know, your government recently came under fire by the UN and the elements of the worldwide ‘humanitarian industrial complex’ for saying Canada would prioritize Syrian resettlement by selecting Christians and other persecuted minorities as a first priority.

Consumed by political correctness?

The “furious” Martin Mark, Executive Director of the Archdiocese of Toronto would never ask the Canadian government to protect Christians first! Photo: http://www.thestar.com/news/atkinsonseries/2014/09/22/delay_delay_delay.html

In all the years we have followed the refugee program in the US, we have never seen any of the so-called ‘religious’ charities which are also resettlement contractors*** ever say they were concerned first for the Christians of the Middle East.

Now comes a very definitive statement by the Executive Director of the Archdiocese of Toronto confirming that the Roman Catholic Church indeed does not place Christians first in their concerns. They call it refugee “discrimination!”

From the Western Catholic Reporter:

Religion should never be used to prioritize Syrian refugees for resettlement, said Catholic agencies amid reports that the Canadian government intends to give preferential treatment to religious minorities.

The CBC and Post Media both reported that the government intends to accept into Canada only Syrian refugees who face religious persecution.

Quoting sources inside a United Nations High Commission for Refugees pledging conference in Geneva, the media outlets claimed Canada clashed with the UNHCR over the government’s intended policy.

Neither the Canadian churches that privately sponsor refugees nor Syrian Christians themselves have asked the government to give special treatment to religious minorities.

In question period Dec. 12, Costas Menegakis, parliamentary secretary to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, refused to say if the government intended to limit the resettlement program based on religion.

“We will prioritize persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, those at demonstrated risk, and we will make no apologies for that,” said Menegakis.

Speaking to The Catholic Register from a massive refugee camp in Jordan, the executive director of the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office for Refugees said he would never ask the government to restrict refugee sponsorship to Christians or other religious minorities. [The UN camp from which Mark speaks is almost exclusively housing Sunni Muslims. Why isn’t he in Turkey talking to the Christians?—ed]

“It would be a big mistake to say we have to check the religion on the refugee. No. We have to check the reason why somebody has become a refugee,” said Martin Mark.

[….]

Need, vulnerability and the immediate risk to individuals and families are the only proper criteria to determine which refugees should be resettled, said Father Nawras Sammour, Jesuit Refugee Service country director for Syria.

I’ll bet a buck that there are 10,000 (the number Canada now says it will take) very vulnerable Christians and other minorities in “immediate risk” they could readily take rather than the mostly Sunni Muslims which are housed in UN camps.

By the way, as we debate this Muslim vs. Christian resettlement issue, don’t lose sight of the fact that resettling any refugee is enormously expensive to the taxpayers of the receiving country and that there are many considerations, other than religion, that should limit the numbers to be taken anywhere in the first world.

I would like to know more about the refugee responsibility split in Canada where supposedly 60% of refugees are supported privately and 40% by the government. Of course in the US it is 100% government supported as the feds funnel taxpayer money through so-called ‘religious’ charities. If we in the US went back to complete private support of refugees entering the US we would learn very quickly who is, and who isn’t, interested in true Christian charity. You know that old maxim! Put your own personal money where your mouth is!

There is nothing that lights my fuse more than the wealthy Catholic Church virtually stealing money from struggling taxpayers so that they can play humanitarian big shots! The USCCB (below) migration program is 98% funded by the US taxpayer.

See our entire category on Canada by clicking here.

*** US resettlement contractors: