Aljazeera article about Temporary Protected Status for Syrians tips us off—thousands of Syrians in US illegally

07/09/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

…..and more appear to be coming!
For new readers, Temporary Protected Status, is basically a sham LEGAL immigration program that is anything but temporary.
The idea behind it is that we would give temporary refugee status to people already in the US for some other reason (tourist or student visa for example) when a calamity befalls their home country. The thinking is that it wouldn’t be humane of us to send them home to a country in chaos either from war or natural disaster. It is supposed to last for 18 months and allows the temporary ‘refugees’ to work, but not collect welfare.
Sounds fine and dandy except there are those with TPS status who are here for decades as the federal government just continues to extend the deadline, and you know darn well many are now collecting welfare and voting! See our post last week about the newest TPS designated country—Nepal.
Syrians were granted TPS status in 2012, but I have laugh when I see they have a rolling deadline of sorts!
Here is Aljazeera on the news that not very many Syrians want to identify themselves to the US government by signing up for TPS.

Some, Aljazeera says, are applying for asylum, but thousands are simply moving around America to avoid detection! Emphasis below is mine:

Nahla11 — Nahla Kayali, who runs Access California Services: They keep a low profile, traveling from city to city and changing their phones. Photo and bio here: http://www.accesscal.org/about-us/founder-executive-director/

The window for Syrians in the United States to apply for a special temporary legal designation closes July 6, but less than half of the estimated 10,000 who qualify have applied so far. Advocates say that disparity reflects fear of the U.S. immigration system and may indicate that more Syrians in the U.S. are applying for asylum instead as the war drags into its fifth year.

[….]

Under the program, Shaguj [star of the story, Osama Shaguj, a 28-year-old data analyst—ed] gets authorization to work and the right to live in the United States, but only for 18 months at a time.

The Department of Homeland Security first ordered that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) be given to Syrian nationals already in the United States in March 2012, and has twice extended the designation for 18 months. To qualify, Syrians must demonstrate they were in the country before the cutoff date — originally March 2012 and now, Jan. 5, 2015.

Anyone who arrived even a day later cannot apply.

Under the latest extension, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, which administers TPS applications, reports that 3,124 Syrians have re-registered and another 1,835 have signed up for the first time. That is fewer than half of the number of Syrians the office estimated (PDF) would qualify.

But many of those people who could have been eligible are now applying for asylum. [This number should be available through the asylum system—ed]

[….]

Undocumented people and TPS holders are not eligible for public benefits, but Kayali [See photo and caption—ed] raises funds from her community specifically for Syrians who may not have connections on which to rely. But, she says many would rather keep a very low profile, changing their phone numbers frequently and traveling to different cities.

[….]

In practice, Syrians are finding ways to relocate outside of the refugee system, though they can still apply for asylum if they qualify when they reach a new country. This can mean flying to Europe, crossing the Mediterranean, or settling for temporary solutions like those who hold TPS in the United States.

Read it all by clicking here.
So it sounds like that of an estimated 10,000 Syrians in America now, as many as 5,000 could be under the radar somewhere in America.

NYT: Minnesota judge rejects plea to release three Somalis charged in terrorism case (for now)

07/09/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

But, says he may re-think his decision and release them pre-trial later.
People like Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison think they could be deradicalized.

Call me heartless, but I don’t think we should be spending all this time and taxpayer money rounding those up who want to leave the country to join their terrorist brethren. Just let them go and revoke their passports. Maybe even consider rounding up a bunch and offering free flights back to Islamic hellholes.
Obviously these resettled refugees or their children don’t appreciate what US taxpayers did for them in the first place.
Here is the New York Times:

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge here on Wednesday ordered three young men accused of plotting to travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State kept in detention while awaiting trial, at least for now. That decision came after the defense argued that entrusting the men immediately to their families and Somali-American leaders was the best way to insulate them from radical Islam.

But United States District Judge Michael J. Davis, in a shift from what other federal judges have done in similar cases involving young people accused of being Islamic State recruits, signaled a willingness to revisit his decision in the coming months.

[….]

The issue of how to deradicalize young people attracted to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has become increasingly important here and in many other communities where recruitment by militant Islamic groups, often done online, has led to arrests.

Minneapolis, with its large Somali immigrant community, has been a recruitment hotbed for years. More than 20 people in Minnesota have faced federal charges related to Al Shabaab, an African terror group, with at least 10 more cases related to ISIS. Defendants have usually been detained while awaiting trial, as prosecutors have argued that they remain flight risks and threats to the community.

There is a lot more, continue reading here.
If you are new to this news—Somali Islamic radicalization in Minnesota—you might want to go back to our first posts on the topic in 2008 (this has been going on for a long time with no sign of “deradicalization” happening). As for me, I am so sick of this story, about ‘Somali youths,’ that I’m only mentioning it here to keep our archives fresh.
Check out this post if you have time, I went to a Senate Homeland Security hearing back in March of 2009 and was shocked at the naivete of US Senators on the topic.

You pay into refugees' savings accounts! Contractors manage the money

07/08/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This week I had a discussion with another refugee program investigator and the subject of Office of Refugee Resettlement matched saving accounts came up and I decided I better say something about it again so that our many new readers would know about this little pot of your tax dollars that helps refugees buy cars, homes, businesses and higher education.

Over the years I’ve heard of low income Americans complaining about refugees getting cars from the government.
Seems preposterous doesn’t it?
You’ve heard of Obama phones, right? Well, this is about Obama cars (there were Bush cars too!). It isn’t quite that straight forward; refugees aren’t given cars outright as they were with the phones. But, you do in fact help pay for refugees to get cars.
The refugee must save something toward the car and then you kick in some of your cash to match it.
The program is called the IDA program (Individual Development Accounts) and it not only helps the refugee dip into your wallet, but since the grant is administered through non-governmental organizations (grantees and contractors) it helps them too! And, you don’t think they are administering this program without a little overhead skimmed off the top, do you?

Here is how the Office of Refugee Resettlement describes the multi-million dollar IDA grant program:

Individual Development Accounts (IDA) are matched savings accounts designed to help refugees save for a specific purchase. Under the IDA program, the matching funds, together with the refugee’s own savings from their employment, are available for purchasing one (or more) of four savings goals:

1. Home purchase
2. Small business development
3. Post secondary education or training
4. Automobile (for employment purposes)

Public or private non-profit organizations administer IDA programming. Refugees receive basic financial training to help them understand the American financial system, budgeting, saving and credit. In addition, refugees receive training focused on the specific savings goals. The specialized training ensures that refugees understand how to manage their assets.

Successful IDA programs [this is not a joke!—ed]

*Improve the ability of low-income refugees to save
*Promote participation in banking
*Assist in education and career training
*Increase home ownership
*Provide access to funding

IDA grantees provide matched savings accounts to refugees whose annual income is less than 200 percent of the poverty level and whose assets, exclusive of a personal residence and one vehicle, are less than $10,000. Grantees provide matches of up to $1 for every $1 deposited by a refugee in a savings account. The total match amount provided may not exceed $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for households. Upon enrolling in an IDA program, a refugee signs a savings plan agreement which specifies the savings goal, the match rate, and the amount the refugee will save each month.

So, as a refugee, you could own a house and a car and if you have less than $10,000 in the bank, you are eligible to have a federally matched savings account!

Here is a link to the most recent grantees in the matched savings account program.

Idaho getting cash!

I see one of the recipients is the Boise, Idaho Mountain States Group which recently got $200,000 big ones to run this giveaway.

Mountain States Group, Inc.

Boise

9/29/2016

$200,000

Jan Reeves
1607 West Jefferson Street, Boise, ID 8370-5111
208.336-4222

And, by the way, if you are doing your research out there in Idaho, you will notice that Mountain States Group is now Jannus, Inc (not not named for Jan Reeves, an Obama Champion of Change, but for the Roman god—huh?). These contractors are always changing their names. Is it to confuse anyone trying to follow the money? Just wondering.
Here is a recent Form 990 for Jannus, Inc. thanks to one of the many budding investigators out there! (About 90% funded by government grants!)
One more thing on Idaho. It is a Wilson-Fish state; so the refugee program there cuts elected officials out of the process and leaves it up to the US State Department and Jannus, Inc. to call the shots on refugees going to Idaho. You, the citizens, have NO voice.
Endnote: I’m in DC today making a presentation, so probably won’t have any time to post anything else or answer all of your e-mails. Sorry!

Montana response to refugee plan includes dire warning

07/07/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Last week we told you that a group in Montana was proposing that the state begin to resettle refugees in significant numbers. The only state that has no refugee program at all is Wyoming, but over the years Montana has resettled a handful (LOL! sort of like refugee advocate Joe Biden’s Delaware). However, that could all change as writer Stephen Maly suggested in an opinion piece in Helena’s Independent Record.
Now comes a response by Montana resident Paul Nachman*** which I’m posting here for several reasons. First, his excellent piece could be a model for others working in ‘pockets of resistance’ and it’s a reminder to use the local media as much as possible (not everyone is on the internet!). Secondly, he makes some very good points in a thoughtful way, and last but not least, he raises a specter of something more and more experts are beginning to notice—in the coming years we will have a glut of low-skilled workers and no jobs. So what then will happen to all of the third world immigrants we have imported ostensibly to do the jobs Americans won’t do? Nachman asks that question.

After you read the whole essay, you might want to send a letter or comment to the paper yourself. Help Montanans decide if they should “change” the character of their state by “welcoming” refugees from places like Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

From the Independent Record:

Stephen Maly’s op-ed “Exploring the possibility of welcoming Syrian refugees to Helena” (June 25) is heartfelt. But it’s also a nonstarter because most of what Mr. Maly wrote has negligible overlap with the current realities of refugee resettlement in the United States.

These realities usually startle people new to the subject. One pictures carefully selected refugees shepherded to new lives in America by doting non-governmental organizations rooted in religion (e.g. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) or civic concern (e.g. International Rescue Committee). Surely such groups assist their charges in finding housing and employment and in assimilating to American life, while also providing financial support until “their” refugees attain self-sufficiency? And surely they fund this support and the salaries of their professional resettlement workers using contributions gathered by “passing the plate” in their churches or by attracting private philanthropy?

Well, no. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does the selecting, pressing their selectees on national bureaucracies such as the U.S. State Department. In turn, the State Department — working with LIRS, IRC and seven other NGOs — identifies American cities and towns for concentrated resettlement of the refugees, typically paying minimal attention to the capabilities and resources of these receiving communities. Indeed, the communities often learn about their new arrivals after the fact.

The sponsoring NGOs’ refugee work is funded almost entirely by the federal taxpayer, not from resources they’re raised themselves, so they’re best viewed as federal contractors. And the contractors’ obligations to any particular refugees end after a few months, no matter how inadequately their charges have assimilated during that brief span.

Continue reading here.

Now this is the part that I found alarming because I have been hearing this warning from several sources lately.

Mr. Maly’s worry about systemic worker shortages is probably misplaced, anyway. The cover story in the July/August Atlantic is “A World Without Work.” Author Derek Thompson argues that galloping computer-driven automation is en route to destroying, on net, tens of millions of American jobs. If so, the issue for our society will be the distribution of sustenance to those forced out of the workforce, without engendering the resentment of those still working. We certainly won’t need to import workers from abroad.

There is more, please continue here.

***Paul Nachman (PNBL48@hotmail.com) is a retired physicist and a founding member of Montanans for Immigration Law Enforcement (www.montanamile.org). He also volunteers in a research group at MSU in Bozeman.

Please send a comment to the Independent Record especially if you have information about how the refugee program is problematic where you live.
***Update***
Want to send a letter, click here. It is a 200 word limit and you can also go here to submit it: irstaff@helenair.com

Renewed warning that ISIS plans to infiltrate 'refugee' flow to Europe

07/07/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is not new, but just this week an EU agency is warning (again!) that the invasion of Europe could include ISIS terrorists among the illegal aliens arriving in Europe from North Africa (thanks to Hillary and the girls, here).

Michele Coninsx is the EU’s chief crime and terror fighter. http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/press/pressreleases/pages/2015/2015-04-21.aspx

From Israel National News:

ISIS members could infiltrate Europe together with masses of refugees from Libya, Syria, and Iraq – ironically fleeing ISIS terror in their homelands, said Michele Coninsx, head of the EU’s judicial cooperation agency Eurojust.

Speaking Monday in Brussels, Coninsx told reporters that the EU was working together with other countries to prevent the migration of ISIS terrorists. She declined to specify exactly what steps were being taken.

A video released last week by ISIS in Libya and published by the Arabic-language Asharq al-Awsat shows the two perpetrators of a deadly attack on the Corinthia Hotel in January threatening that ISIS’s newly-established presence in the country would be used as a springboard to invade Europe.

For more and to see the many links, go here.
To learn more about the ‘Invasion of Europe’ see our extensive archive here.