Last week when we were all busy paying attention to the upcoming South Carolina primary and chuckling over the Pope sticking his nose in the 2016 Election process, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society was on Capitol Hill along with the other major federal resettlement contractors looking for approval and $$$ for more refugees (paying clients!) to resettle.
From HIAS website (hat tip: Joanne):
Today, instead of heading to the HIAS offices, I flagged down a cab and asked him to take me somewhere different. Capitol Hill, please. Senate side. [What, no subway? Are you using taxpayer money for your cab ride too?—ed]
[….]
I am on Capitol Hill right now along with not only other HIAS staff but with representatives from many of the top NGOs working on refugee issues. We’re here, pounding the pavement and filling the halls of the various House and Senate office buildings, for two days of intense advocacy organized by Refugee Council USA***, a coalition of 20 U.S.-based refugee protection NGOs.
Bringing in the “vulnerable” (and costly) ‘refugees’ (medical care for US taxpayers to pay for!):
Why is resettlement so important? Most refugees will remain in the country to which they first fled, until they are able to return to their home country. Only a very small number, about one percent, will be resettled to a third country. This small group is made up of the most vulnerable refugees, those who remain at risk even after fleeing their home country. This includes unaccompanied children, survivors of torture, LGBT refugees and people requiring medical attention not available to them in their host country. With so few resettlement spots and so many refugees, however, the need for resettlement far exceeds current availability.
It is maddening to know that, according to USA Spending.gov, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society received over $134 million from you since Obama took office, and HIAS, Inc. (its new name) has raked in another $58 million in that same time frame. Are they lobbying on Capitol Hill on your dime? I bet they are!
***Refugee Council USA is the lobbying arm for the refugee industry.
We told you about them on many previous occasions. They supported the resettlement of 65,000 Syrians to your towns this year. Then subsequently upped the number to 100,000.
As we told you here last September, they have a lobbying kit in which they call-out RRW! HIAS also authored a report urging that I be investigated (among others) by the Southern Poverty Law Center, see here.
This is from their grassroots lobbying kit:
Anti-Refugee Sentiment
Utilizing anti-immigrant and anti-Muslilm sentiment, individuals who oppose refugee resettlement are making their voices heard louder and more frequently to policy makers. Groups like Refugee Resettlement Watch and similar local groups are calling for an end to refugee resettlement altogether, moratoriums on arrivals to their areas, and fostering unwelcoming atmospheres for newcomers. It is critical that policy makers at local, state and national levels hear from refugees themselves and community members who support refugee resettlement, so they can ask questions, learn more about the importance of resettlement, support positive legislation and oppose proposals that would harm refugees.
Go here for more on the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society one of nine major refugee contractors:
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
- Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM)
- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
- International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
- World Relief Corporation (WR)