Day: May 29, 2015

More rocks and more hard places for faith-based groups taking federal money

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment


As we have reported previously, US refugee resettlement contractors which live off of millions and millions of your grant dollars are being faced with Obama Administration changes in policy that are forcing them to ultimately choose between principles of faith and cold hard federal cash that keeps them alive.
Here is another story that tells us about the rock and a hard place groups like the US Conference of Catholic Bishops find themselves in now that they have gotten in bed with ‘Caesar.’
I don’t think this will be as great a hardship for them as the earlier edict from the White House that the Bishops and others taking care of the ‘unaccompanied alien children’ must offer abortion services, but it is nonetheless a reminder of the perils of “church” groups becoming beholden to the federal government.
 
From Breitbart (hat tip: Julia).  BREAKING: Obama to Force Faith-Based Grant Recipients to Hire LGBTs

The Obama Administration is poised to require faith-based recipients of federal grants to accept applications from LGBT individuals, according to a report published today by the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam).

By executive order last summer, President Obama amended the Johnson-era federal order on non-discrimination in hiring by federal contractors to include non-discrimination based on “sexual orientation and gender identity.” That order has roiled faith-based groups.

A confidential source tells C-Fam that the White House has directed federal agencies to include “sexual orientation and gender identity” as protected classes in all grant agreements.

[….]

Faith-based groups, still grappling with the contracting question, are being caught off guard by this new policy on grants. None of the groups contacted by C-Fam were aware of the new policy.

The office of Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who also heads the Bishop’s committee on religious freedom, wouldn’t comment. Neither would Anthony Picarello, General Counsel of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference. Catholic agencies would be hit particularly hard by such a change.

At the time of the executive order last summer, two Bishop-Chairmen of the USCCB said the order was “unprecedented and extreme and should be opposed.”

See this post earlier in the year about how much each of the nine major refugee contractors receive from the federal treasury (numbers are from FY2012).  They could not exist without this massive infusion into their coffers of your tax dollars.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service bringing refugees/other migrants to Washington to lobby

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

They will surely be asking for more refugees and more taxpayer goodies, and you are most likely paying for this three-day shindig.  
This is just a reminder of how organized they are as they work day and night to plant immigrant ‘seedlings’ in your towns and cities.  This event will also train participants to go home to promote “welcoming” communities.  They will be learning the fine art of community organizing, as well as being paraded around Capitol Hill!

Linda Hartke
Linda Hartke is the CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. A look at a recent Form990 indicates that Hartke makes over $250,000 a year and 5 other employees are in the 6-figure range. Doing well by doing good? Her bio is here: http://lirs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/LIRS_LindaHartkeBio.pdf

For our many new readers, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is one of nine major federal contractors that call themselves VOLAGS (short for Voluntary Agencies) which they most decidedly are not!
They are all mostly funded by taxpayer dollars.

How rich is LIRS?

I checked the most recent Form990 for LIRS and this is what I learned.   They took in $48,392,082 from gifts, contributions and grants and $46,414,735 came from government grants—that means from you, the taxpayer.  Only 4% of their funds are privately raised.  So you can bet that you are paying for 90 refugees and other MIGRANTS to lobby in Washington in a few weeks!
(Although it is possible that some rich Leftwing foundation, or a Soros affiliate is paying for this!)
Here (and below) is their press release announcing the lobbying campaign.  I wonder if they will need extra security in Baltimore as we learned during the recent Baltimore riots that the local African Americans aren’t too fond of immigrants.

BALTIMORE, May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) will host the 2015 Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy, a three-day event for migrants and former refugees focused on building advocacy, community organizing, and leadership skills. The event will take place in Baltimore and Washington, DC on June 16-18.

This will be the third annual Academy for LIRS, one that marks an important expansion to include migrant leaders for the first time. [Editor:  that must mean illegal aliens!] The Academy will equip participants with legislative advocacy and leadership enrichment training to become strong advocates for migrant and refugee issues. Through the experience, participants will be equipped to mobilize and engage in sustained advocacy for creating more welcoming local communities.

Ninety participants, including nine planning committee members and training facilitators – some of whom are former refugees and migrants – were selected from a pool of applicants with demonstrated leadership experience, strong ties to their local communities, and a desire to mobilize in support of pro-migrant and refugee policies. The participants hail from 33 states and represent 22 nationalities of origin. Each individual’s inspiring story of overcoming hardship to become a community leader illustrates the courage and perseverance of former migrants and refugees. The Academy schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, June 16th: Academy participants will take part in leadership skills enrichment and legislative advocacy training; discuss issues that bridge the immigration experience between migrants and refugees; and will prepare for visits with elected officials on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday, June 17th: Participants will travel to Washington, DC for a Lobby Day. Participants will meet with members of Congress to share their personal stories in an effort to support of pro-refugee legislation.

Thursday, June 18th: Participants will focus on strategies for sustained community engagement and collaborate on plans for on-going initiatives within their local communities. After they return home, the network of Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy participants will continue to serve as a support system and resource for the work of each leader in his or her respective community.

For more information about the Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy, please contact Folabi Olagbaju at 410-625-6744. Media interested in attending Capitol Hill meetings on June 17th may contact Miji Bell, 410-230-2841.

Press Contact: Miji Bell
410-230-2841, mbell@lirs.org

Go here for more on what we have said about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.   Here is a list of LIRS subcontractors in 23 states.  This is the same refugee contractor that attempted (unsuccessfully because Wyomingites revolted) to get an office opened in Wyoming, the only state that doesn’t officially have a refugee program.