I’ve been out all day but have had a chance to listen to talk radio inbetween other things (there is life away from the computer!) and some of the numbers I’m hearing talked about are just crazy—the craziest number I heard was Trump saying Obama wanted 250,000 Syrians in the US in the next year or so. Now, perhaps deep down Obama would like nothing better, but he hasn’t said that yet!
Please consider that although this issue is extremely important, it is also important to be factual in our criticism.
And, just a reminder this has been going on for 35 YEARS through Republican and Democrat administrations. It didn’t start last month or the month before that!
By the way, if you seriously want to know what Obama is looking for this year, read his State Department’s PROPOSED REFUGEE ADMISSIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 REPORT TO THE CONGRESS, by clicking here.
He is vastly underestimating the $1.2 billion price tag, but presumably Congress will be wrangling with him over that (Senator Lindsey Graham and Patrick Leahy want to add ONE billion to get more Syrians in here!)
Just a brief overview of where the numbers I’m hearing come from (in addition to the 65,000 the Jihad Caucus asked for and we reported on in the above June 2015 Youtube clip):
~70,000 is the number of refugees the Obama Administration has been proposing for resettlement in recent years, and they have been coming close to that (that is for refugees from all over the world).
~85,000 is the number of refugees he has proposed for FY2016 (from all countries). He said he would propose 100,000 for FY2017 which would be his last opportunity to set the ceiling, but he can’t and won’t do that until September 2016.
~10,000 of the 85,000 is earmarked for Syrians for FY 2016. 10,000 are not being sent to Louisiana.
We have brought around 2,000 Syrians since the civil war began (but I will next be rechecking that number)
~65,000 Syrians is a number that was initially proposed by the federal resettlement contractors (aka volags) earlier this year (and that was after an earlier proposal to bring in 15,000 for each of five years, which we reported here in 2014). They wanted the 65,000 relocated here before Obama leaves office.
~65,000 Syrians is also the number 14 Democrat Senators*** (we called them the ‘Jihad Caucus’) proposed bringing in before Obama leaves office.
~100,000 Syrians is now the number being proposed by the refugee resettlement contractors. They want them here before Obama leaves office.
~250,000 Syrians is what Pres. candidate Trump says Obama wants. ***Update*** a reader sends this, it is Hannity who was talking about 250,000 first. See how Hannity gets to that number, here.
If anyone wants links for any of the numbers I’ve mentioned, please ask, because I don’t have the energy to put them all in here.
*** These are the 14 members of the Senate Jihad Caucus who last May (at the behest of the resettlement contractors) sent a letter to Obama indicating that 65,000 Syrians was a good number:
Dick Durban (D-IL)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Christopher Coons (D-DE) LOL! Delaware hasn’t taken a refugee in a couple of years!
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Edward Markey (D-MA)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI) LOL! Last I looked Hawaii took a whole 7 refugees last year!
I hope that helps clear up some confusion. Let me know if more numbers are being bandied about so we can run those down too!