Month: May 2015

RRW Weekly roundup for week ending May 30, 2015

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a banner week for Refugee Resettlement Watch, but a lousy week for me to get many stories posted and for that I apologize.
The subject is exploding across the country and it keeps me hopping (so very sorry I can’t always answer all in the boatloads of e-mail I receive) fielding phone calls, and requests to speak (either in person or on radio shows).
I’m keeping a log of radio shows in hopes of one day reporting that I’ve been on a show in every state!
Grassroots activists across the country are also mobilizing and getting media attention.
Another highlight this week:  The little 4 minute Youtube clip I did with SecureFreedom.org passed the half million mark. Who are all those people?
And, another high point this past week occurred on Wednesday (I was in DC for meetings) when we hit our busiest day ever!  I think it might have been helped along by the World Net Daily story (Push back growing! by Leo Hohmann) that day which revealed that the rich Leftwing groups (refugee contractors!) had published a report outlining a strategy to shut up anyone or any town elected officials that might be resisting their plans to seed America with migrants.
Here are our top three posts of the week (the Nashville Arabic story went through the roof on Wednesday).  Top daily posts are in the right hand sidebar:

1. So it begins…Nashville schools to teach Arabic

2. Rohingya Muslims are definitely being brought to American towns

3. Planned refugee resettlement in Spartanburg, SC presents watershed moment

Regarding the Nashville schools post, don’t miss call to action, here.
Here are the top ten countries from which readers arrived at RRW this past week (excluding the US) in descending order:

Canada

UK

Australia

Malaysia

Germany

Indonesia

South Africa

India

European Union  (again, I don’t know why this is now showing up when the individual countries are listed as well)

Norway

For new readers!

Since we get new readers every day, here is my usual spiel with two points I need to continue to make:
First, we do screen our comments (sometimes I don’t get to them right away!) and I don’t post any that threaten any kind of violence or ones filled with foul language.  An occasional expletive might slip in if the comment is otherwise a good one.  You are always free to disagree with our point of view if you follow those two simple rules.

And the other thing I want to mention is about e-mails that come to you every time we post.  They come directly from wordpress to subscribers.  We don’t send out e-mails.  So, if we are posting too much for your e-mail inbox, then just unsubscribe and visit RRW when you have the time.  I understand completely about too many e-mails!  You might want to simply follow us on twitter or on facebook (below).
This is where you can find information (in addition to our fact sheet). We have over 6,500 posts.

*  See our categories (left hand sidebar)
*  See the tag clouds (right hand sidebar)
*  Also, we have a great search function and since neither the categories nor the tags go all the way back to our first posts more than seven years ago, use the search window with a few key words.  You might want to first try your city, state, or country to see what we have reported from there over the years.
Readers from Europe should search for key words ‘Invasion of Europe’ for all of our many posts on the migration crisis on the Continent.
By the way, our category entitled ‘where to find information’ is filled with reports and documents, but with 347 posts archived there, it is pretty unwieldy now.
Past weekly roundups can be found in our category entitled ‘blogging.’
If you wish to be notified when we post, consider subscribing or follow us on twitter (@refugeewatcher) or facebook (RefugeeInfoResource).  ‘Like us’ on facebook! (We are no longer posting every story we write at RRW to facebook so as not to overload your facebook feed either.)  We also have some content on facebook that isn’t posted here first, so like us and follow us (I do have a volunteer helper at facebook—Kelly Monroe Kullberg).
And apologies to all who e-mail and comment, sorry if I don’t respond much, there are just not enough hours in my day!
Thanks to all of you for following RRW.  The subject is on fire (maybe you have noticed)!
P.S.  I have added two photos of myself to our About page, if you need one for any reason.
 
 

Minnesota Somalis: 'We would rather be in Somalia'

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Or, at least in a country that follows shariah law!
That is the gist of the comments a film maker received from several young Somali men and women interviewed on the streets of “Little Mogadishu” (aka Minneapolis) recently.
Here is World Net Daily late yesterday:

On Friday a camera crew with the David Horowitz Freedom Center released a video posted to Robert Spencer’s blog, Jihad Watch, in which documentary filmmaker Ami Horowitz interviews Somali men and women on the streets of Cedar Riverside.

Young Somalis who grew up and were educated in America (on your dime!) still believe it is o.k. to kill people, like Pamela Geller, who do not agree with the teachings of the Koran and exercise their Constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech.

Their answers to questions about Islamic law, American law and issues of peace and freedom were revealing.

Continue reading here. They discuss their hatred for Pamela Geller in addition to extolling the virtues of following Islamic law—shariah—which of course would permit them to kill her.   Then this near the end:

The interviewer asked one final question: If they had a choice, would the Somalis rather live in America or back in Somalia?

“I’d rather to live a Muslim country with my people,” the young man with the Brooklyn Nets cap said without hesitation. “I’m not Americanized. I just speak fluent (English) and I’m articulate, and I can articulate what I’m trying to say. That’s about it. But as far as that my culture and my preferences and everything, it’s still Somali, you know what I mean?”

“I would rather live in Somalia,” said the man in the sunglasses.

“For me, I think Somalia,” said the woman in the pink hijab.

For new readers:

Check out some of our earlier posts.  See this one from 2011‘Why so many Somalis in Minneapolis’ which describes the decades’ old ‘work’ of federal refugee resettlement contractors:  Lutheran Social Service of MN, Catholic Charities and World Relief (now called ‘Arrive Ministries’) that continue to resettle Somalis in Minnesota (over 10,000 in the last ten years alone).
And, don’t miss Lutheran Social Service of MN—-doing well by doing good! (here and here).

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.

Jewish refugee resettlement agency: Let's bring Rohingya Muslims to Pittsburgh (to increase diversity!)

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been telling you that the resettlement contractors are now going to push Rohingya Muslims on us in a big way.
Just two days ago we reported that the New York Times was on the bandwagon and you will be seeing more and more articles like this one at newspapers where you live!  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had wisely editorialized saying that the Rohingya migration crisis is Asia’s problem.  The Jewish group begs to differ.

Leslie Aizeman
From Left: JF&CS Refugee Services Director, Leslie Aizenman, Secretary of State for the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Anne Richard and Allegheny County Chief Executive, Rich Fitzgerald. I’m guessing that County Executive Fitzgerald is on board (or was on board) with diversifying Pittsburgh in 2012. https://jfcspgh.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/jfcs-welcomed-anne-richard-assistant-secretary-of-state/

What is so maddening to me is that no where in this opinion piece, by the Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Pittsburgh, does she use the ‘M’ word.
The average American reading this will have no idea that the Rohingya are very fundamentalist Muslims who are arriving (illegally from Burma and Bangladesh) in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia (Muslim countries) and are not wanted there either.
So tell me why Pittsburgh will benefit from more of this kind of diversity?
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

In response to “Asia’s Migrants: More Boat People Deserve Help From Those Nearby” (May 20 editorial): We at Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Pittsburgh agree that there is a role for the United States to play in helping to save the lives of refugees, such as the Rohingya from Burma.

The United States welcomes 70,000 refugees annually. Through a national network of resettlement agencies, these refugees find their way to local communities where they add to the local population, settle down, work and raise families.

If the Rohingya community and others like them were permitted to resettle in the United States like other refugees, JF&CS, along with its partner agencies, would welcome some of them to Pittsburgh. Such an effort would be consistent with the evolving municipal plans to promote Pittsburgh as a welcoming city.

We learned just in the last week that we have resettled 1,000 Rohingya Muslims in the US just this year and over ten years we resettled over 12,000 Burmese Muslims to the US (surely many of those are Rohingya), so we are already bringing in the Rohingya!
Ms. Aizenman continues:

The successful resettlement of the refugees in Pittsburgh depends on the support of the community — employers, landlords, social service providers, educators, medical professionals, public offices and community volunteers who understand the plight of these refugees and welcome and work to accommodate our newest Americans.

[….]

Refugee resettlement is one concrete way to save lives while increasing the diversity and population of Pittsburgh.

LESLIE AIZENMAN
Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services
Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Pittsburgh***
Squirrel Hill

Commenter, Rich Kowal, says what most sensible, thinking Americans believe:

We should be taking care of the our veterans, children and elderly citizens first before we worry about diversity.

See our Rohingya Reports category (179 posts going back 7 years!) outlining many (many!) reasons we should NOT be bringing Rohingya to your towns and cities.
Go here to find Pittsburgh resettlement contractors’ contact information (and all local contractors throughout the US).
***Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Pittsburgh is a subcontractor of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society one of the nine major contractors promoting the resettlement of 65,000 (mostly Sunni Muslim) Syrians to the US.   HIAS also wrote a report for which they received $35,000 from the obviously filthy rich JM Kaplan Fund to outline how to shut you up—to keep you from questioning what they are doing to America.   LOL!  The report is 30 pages long so they were paid over $1000 a page for not much!