Day: May 26, 2016

Bowling Green, KY townhall Friday night to explain plan for Syrian resettlement there

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We’ve been reporting on the Rutland, VT ‘pocket of resistance’ to a new resettlement office in Bernie-land, but although there has been an office (of the same federal contractor—USCRI) in Bowling Green for a long time (we have a large archive on it because they have had many problems there over the years), now Syrian Muslims will join the Iraqi Muslims in Rand Paul-land.

Little notice for a public meeting to be held at 5 p.m. on a Friday evening!  What is up with that, unless the whole idea is to make sure few average working (taxpaying!) people can’t make it!

Mbanfu
Albert Mbanfu took over the leadership of this USCRI subcontractor in 2013 here: http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/mbanfu-taking-over-as-international-center-director/image_68ff7ec2-4d2b-5336-9f17-4e5f998865e7.html

And, as far as I know they have no one attending who will help develop the whole story as Simpson did in Rutland this week.
From AP at the Lexington Herald Leader (hat tip: Joanne):

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A plan to accept Syrian refugees in Bowling Green is raising concerns. In response, the organizations involved have scheduled a town hall to address any questions.

The Bowling Green International Center plans to help resettle refugees, including a group of 40 from Syria, in October.

Center Director Albert Mbanfu said he hopes to address concerns about the screening process and explain how these refugees come to the United States. [Bet you a buck he has already sent the plan to Washington—ed]

“My objective is that people will leave this town hall with a sound knowledge on how refugee resettlement works,” he said.

City Commissioner Melinda Hill has called the resettlement risky. [Commissioner Hill must demand to see the R & P Abstract prepared by USCRI! It should look like this one from Reno! because USCRI is the major contractor there too.—ed]

Sue Parrigan
Commissioner Sue Parrigan wants more immigrant workers in Bowling Green.

“This is not against the people,” Hill said. “Our federal government has not put in place a good vetting process.”

Mbanfu says the federal government won’t put the country at risk of potential terrorist infiltrators.

“The community deserves to come out and be heard,” said City Commissioner Sue Parrigin.

The Daily News (http://bit.ly/27SlBxp ) reports that the town hall is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at the Professional Development and Learning Center.

Follow that link in the last paragraph and learn more, including the statements by Commissioner Parrigin who says they need more workers in KY.
And, if you are new to RRW, or perhaps you live in the Bowling Green area, I will bet you have never seen all the news Bowling Green has made over the years with refugee overload and including the news about Iraqi refugee terrorists arrested (and now in prison) who had been resettled there.  Click here for background.  I bet we have stories there going back to 2008!
Somebody needs to make sure that Senator Rand Paul’s office is represented! This is his home town! You can forget Senator Mitch McConnell because he has turned a blind eye to the program for decades.  (Meatpacking and chicken plant money??? Just guessing!)

Rutland, VT citizens hear from James Simpson in advance of heated public meeting

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is not an exhaustive report on what happened in Rutland over the last two days.  I am sure we will have more later, but just wanted to let readers know that James Simpson was invited to speak in Rutland, VT this week (go here to see our previous posts). See also ‘Remaking Rutland’ at American Thinker, here.
Here is a news account from MyChamplainValley about Simpson’s presentation on Tuesday.

Vermont meeting
On the hotseat: Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program Director Amila Merdzanovic (left) and Stacie Blake, director of government and community relations at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, speak at a meeting in Rutland. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger

Then here are two accounts of the meeting held last night (Wed) by the Board of Alderman to further educate the public about the plan to bring 100 Syrians to Rutland this coming fiscal year. (See here and here).
The second of those links, here, at VTdigger is worth reading in its entirety because the whole idea of the secrecy with which this plan was hatched is discussed in some detail.
Note that they are holding a public meeting AFTER the plan has been sent to Washington. I bet the mayor hasn’t even seen that plan (the R & P Abstract)!

RUTLAND — In a heated public meeting Wednesday, the members of the Rutland Board of Aldermen and community members scrutinized a plan to resettle refugees in this central Vermont city.

While some came in support of the proposal, the majority raised objections to the way the plan had been formulated.

The proposal, announced by Mayor Chris Louras last month, would bring 100 Syrian refugees to Rutland for resettlement over the course of a year beginning in October.

Last week, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program submitted the proposal to resettle Syrians in Rutland to the federal government. They anticipate they will hear a response in July.

Many residents bristled at Louras’ approval of the project because he didn’t consult with city aldermen and they raised concerns about the impact the resettlement will have on the community.

In a meeting that stretched longer than three hours, the aldermen and residents expressed frustration with Louras’ decision, which they said was carried out behind closed doors and without an appropriate level of community input.

Amila Merdzanovic, the director of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, and Stacie Blake, director of government and community relations at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, answered questions from board and community members for hours Wednesday evening.

Continue reading here!
Be sure to see that USCRI rep Blake says refugees are not placed in unwelcoming communities…hmmmmm!
Also, just keep in mind that, at this very moment, plans for all of the old and new resettlement sites are being prepared and sent to Washington.  It is our contention that those plans (see the Reno plan here) should be released to the public in advance of going to Washington for approval for your money to be spent!
More later…..