Update: Thanks to Richard at Blue Ridge Forum you can now see who the Maryland reps are who support the placement of Syrian Muslim refugees in Maryland. See here. So what are the Republicans going to do to come to the governor’s defense?
Even though Governor Larry Hogan can’t (as things stand now) stop the resettlement of refugees to Maryland, a group of Maryland Democrats are pressuring him to publicly welcome them.
And this is really stinky timing for the refugee pushers because the lead agency behind the pro-Syrian Muslim refugee lobbying campaign is none other than the International Rescue Committee that made big news yesterday because it is under investigation for fraud in Turkey where it is supposedly helping Syrian refugees.
If you are a new reader there is something you need to know when reading this story.
Governors do not have the power (yet) to stop the placement of third worlders into their states.
However, they do have the power to withdraw the state from the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program as the governors of Kansas and New Jersey did in April. Although it causes bureaucratic confusion and brings media attention (both good things!), the gesture is meaningless unless the governor then files a States’ rights lawsuit that is waiting and ready to go at the Thomas More Law Center.
Frankly I don’t see Maryland’s Republican governor with that much gumption to protect the taxpayers of the state. I hope he proves me wrong!
As I mentioned above, be sure you read yesterday’s post on the corruption investigation of the IRC which is one of the primary refugee resettlement contractors operating in Maryland.
So below is a bit of the news yesterday at the Washington Post (emphasis is mine):
Several dozen Maryland state lawmakers, including Democratic House nominee Jamie B. Raskin, have written Gov. Larry Hogan (R), urging him to endorse the settlement of Syrian refugees in the state.
Hogan joined other governors last year in saying he would oppose the entry of refugees unless the federal government could provide specific assurances that they are properly vetted and do not pose a security threat.
State Department officials have said repeatedly that all refugees — including Syrians — undergo rigorous screening before being granted refugee status.
But Hogan spokesman Matt Clark said Wednesday that the governor’s position has not changed. “To my knowledge, the federal government has not provided any additional information on changes . . . in the process,” Clark said.
[….]
The letter was initiated by Raskin, a state senator from Montgomery County and the Democratic nominee to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D), and Dels. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore) and David Moon (D-Montgomery).
[….]
Ruben Chandrasekar, an official of the International Rescue Committee in Baltimore, said the agency has resettled 60 Syrian refugees in Maryland in the past two years and is prepared to place as many as 100 in the coming year. [99% of the Syrian refugees entering the US now are Muslims—ed]
“If President Obama follows through on his promise to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees, we hope to have a very busy summer,” said Chandrasekar, whose organization worked closely with the advocacy groups that spearheaded the letter from lawmakers to Hogan.
Yeh, I will bet the IRC worked closely. They are paid by the head to resettle refugees into your towns and cities and it is in their financial best interests to keep the spigot open.
Most refugees in Maryland go to Baltimore or Silver Spring, but hundreds of others are scattered around the state. Most recently a resettlement contractor was making inquiries in Hagerstown again.
If any reader finds a copy of Raskin’s letter, send it my way! We do need to publish the names of all who signed it.
And, don’t hold your breath that the Washington Post, which is happy to pimp for Raskin, will report on the corruption scandal surrounding the IRC! The alternative media is on the story however, here Leo Hohmann at World Net Daily digs deeper.