That’s what the Wall Street Journalis reporting, thanks to Jeff for sending the story.
The ‘stars’ of the WSJ piece landed in the UK, but I wonder how many are landing at an airport near you as we speak?
ISTANBUL—Somewhere over Europe, Kassem went to the airplane’s bathroom and flushed his fake Italian passport down the toilet.
When he landed in London’s Heathrow Airport a few hours later, Kassem presented his Syrian ID to U.K. immigration officials and requested asylum.The trip wouldn’t have been possible using his actual, Syrian passport—the country’s four-year civil war has turned it into a burden for anyone fleeing the conflict.
When asked where his passport was, Kassem told the officials: “It’s in the toilet.”
While hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees make the dangerous sea voyage to Europe followed by arduous treks across the continent, some of their countrymen have used fraudulent Western passports to board planes to countries where they can request asylum. Winter’s approach, turning seas colder, stormier and more dangerous, is expected to increase the practice.
Continue reading here.
This chart shows how many successful asylum cases were processed in 2013 in the US. Source:Migration Policy Institute. (I would love to know what countries are represented in that 7,776 (30%) from “other countries,” wouldn’t you?)
For new readers the difference between refugees and asylum seekers is that we fly the refugees in after the UN selects them for us and asylum seekers get in on their own steam—either illegally across a border or come legally on another type of visa—then ask for asylum, claiming they will be persecuted if returned to their homeland. Once granted asylum however, the asylum seekers get all of the same welfare goodies that refugees receive.
This is short and sweet (well, maybe not so sweet). Reader Brenda is trying to figure out what is going on in her state and came across this document from the Department of Health and Human Services that sure looks like the welfare needs of refugees are being met by dipping into resources meant for Americans in poverty. Click here, and then see if you can find out if this is going on where you live.
When the Refugee Act of 1980 was passed by Congress, a promise was made that the refugees would not simply bring more poverty to America, but that is exactly what is happening. Refugees should not be part of our combating poverty programs!
I wanted to see where the most homeless US military veterans are located and found this map. Fascinating! Most of the largest refugee resettlement states correlate with the states that have the greatest number of homeless veterans—NY, FL, TX and CA. See map!
Americans first!
There is nothing unexpected in this news article about the new CEO of ‘Opening Doors’ another resettlement agency contracted through Church World Service (one of nine major resettlement contractors working for the UN/US State Department), but I bring it to you because it makes some points we have been making lately. Deborah Ortiz to be the new CEO of Opening Doors. Photo: http://sacramentopress.com/2011/03/22/latino-leaders-honored-in-cesar-chavez-resolution/ Yes! They are contractors!
I had to laugh when I saw this line on their website. South Carolina readers will recall that when Asst. Sec. of State for PRM, Anne Richard, came to Spartanburg she said that they were not “CONTRACTORS,” but had signed “agreements.” Someone needs to tell ‘Opening Doors:’
Refugees come to us through our affiliate, Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program that is under contract to the United States Department of State.
First and foremost I was interested in the fact that Opening Doors (largely funded with taxpayer dollars)*** doesn’t just resettle refugees, but works with and for illegal aliens as well. That is a point I have been making lately. Many who want to see illegal immigration brought under control say “legal immigration is good,” but these groups we fund—like Opening Doors—are perfectly fine with promoting the rights of illegal migrants right along with their resettlement work that is paid for by you!
Here is the story from the Sacramento Bee:
Deborah Ortiz, a veteran public servant who spent years trying to help immigrants and refugees in Sacramento and the state, will soon be aiding hundreds of new Sacramentans fleeing violence or persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and more than half a dozen other nations.
On Jan. 1, the former city council member, assemblywoman and state senator will take over as CEO of Opening Doors, a nonprofit agency that helps refugees, immigrants and human-trafficking survivors achieve self-sufficiency through job training, small-business loans and access to legal and social services. Last year, the agency served more than 650 immigrants and refugees and helped resettle 423. It also assisted 94 human-trafficking survivors.
[….]
Since 2011, when the Syrian conflict started, 1,500 Syrians have been resettled nationwide. Sacramento ranks third in the nation among cities receiving them. Since April, Opening Doors, one of several resettlement agencies here, has resettled 25. [97% of those arriving in FY2015 are Muslims, does Church World Service not advocate for persecuted Christians? Guess not!—ed]
Is Opening Doors keeping a huge chunk of the refugees cash?
Then this (below) gave me pause. Refugees are given cash by the federal government in the amount of $1,975 per personand the contractor usually pockets around $800 of it (per refugee) for their overhead (they are paid by the head for their work, thus they have every incentive to never slow the flow). Does this mean that Opening Doors is pocketing an even bigger chunk?
Note again, that the contractor’s job is to sign the refugees up for their welfare goodies. You can be sure that no matter how hard they wish it, the refugees are NOT “independent” in three months as they claim.
Refugees receive $925 in federal funding for the first 30 days. It helps pay for setting up their households, food, housing and nominal expenses. Their refugee status many help them qualify for other income-based public assistance programs including cash assistance, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh (food stamps) for up to eight months for adults without dependent children. Families with children are eligible to receive benefits for four years.
Opening Doors supports them for three months from the date of arrival in Sacramento. The agency enrolls refugees in ESL classes, human services and employment services to help them to become independent at the end of the three months.
Maybe it’s the reporter’s fault, but someone needs to see if this contractor is keeping a big chunk of the refugees’ cash.
*** Here is Opening Doors’ most recently available Form 990. They are a $1.3 million a year business with just about $1 million coming from your wallets.
Endnote: An Iraqi refugee wrote this criticism of Opening Doors in 2010.
We heard that news at the big pow-wow at Georgetown on Thursday, so I decided to look around and see if I could find out more.
This is a Reuters story from a month ago where we learn that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is not extending Guterres’ term even though he could. Hmmm! Then Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (a Socialist) yuks it up with Obama at the Mandela Memorial Service in 2013. She is on the short list to replace Antonio Guterres as UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Michele (right) obviously not thrilled with hubby.
By the way, go hereand see the list of pledges for Syrian resettlement and see that Portugal (where Antonio Guterres is a past President) is taking a whopping 23 Syrians.
What! He can’t persuade his own home country to take in a larger number of Syrians? Besides being the former President of Portugal, Guterres is the former President of Socialists International. He gave up that post when he became UNHCR:
Guterres retired from Portuguese politics and worked as President of the Socialist International until 2005.
Reuters (U.N.’s Ban rejects calls to keep refugee chief amid crisis):
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has disregarded a request from a large number of member states to keep the U.N. high commissioner for refugees in his job for an extra year to cope with the worsening refugee crisis, diplomats said.
Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was elected by the U.N. General Assembly in 2005 and re-elected in 2010. Earlier this year, the assembly voted to extend his mandate by 6-1/2 months to Dec. 31, on Ban’s recommendation.
But the sources, who include the chairman of the U.N. refugee agency’s executive committee, said Ban decided to resist pressure for a further extension of one year, and resort to a normal election process to make way for a new high commissioner.
Several diplomats said it was unusual for a secretary-general to ignore such appeals, though they acknowledged it is Ban’s right to do so.
So who is on the short list (at least at the time this story was published):
Comissario told Reuters there was a short list of three candidates for the post: Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and veteran diplomats Achim Steiner of Germany and Filippo Grandi of Italy.
The UNHCR statute makes no mention of term limits for the high commissioner, though it states that the terms of the appointment are set by the secretary-general.
Consider this nightmare: Obama heads UN in 2017 with Helle as UNHCR!
Invasion of Europe news…. Sumte is about an hour and a half drive from Hamburg. Map and story here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sumte-the-german-village-with-100-residents-and-zero-infastructure-to-take-in-750-refugees-a6717591.html
Please read theNew York Timesstory from Saturday. I was trying to imagine a small American town if such a thing happened. I won’t say it, but I know there would be a bit more than a community meeting. New York Times (German Village of 102 Braces for 750 Asylum Seekers):
SUMTE, Germany — This bucolic, one-street settlement of handsome redbrick farmhouses may for the moment have many more cows than people, but next week it will become one of the fastest growing places in Europe. Not that anyone in Sumte is very excited about it.
In early October, the district government informed Sumte’s mayor, Christian Fabel, by email that his village of 102 people just over the border in what was once Communist East Germany would take in 1,000 asylum seekers.
Continue reading here.
Our complete ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive is here.
Posts on Germany and Merkel’s mess are here.
