The story at World Net Daily yesterday gave me an opportunity to vent about one of my major pet peeves. And, that is that economic studies being scattered like rabbit turds around the media landscape that conclude that refugees bring economic prosperity wherever they are dropped never include the true cost of medical care (like MN is experiencing right now), the true cost of the criminal justice system, or the true cost to the economy of remittances (money sent ‘home’ by refugees) that is lost to the US economy.
But, oh well, it is all good for Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey that we deposit refugees throughout America—right Heritage Foundation!
Here is the news and some comments by me:
Minnesota pays out millions every year in welfare for refugees, but there are secondary costs that never get tabulated.
In fiscal 2017, which ended last last week, the state spent $1.5 million to combat three infectious disease outbreaks — including the largest measles outbreak in 30 years, which swept through in the Somali refugee community. And health officials notified legislative leaders this week that they want to tap a special public-health fund to offset additional costs.
Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Health commissioner, told the Star-Tribune his department will need another $600,000 for fiscal 2018 to help control the spread of measles, drug-resistant tuberculosis and syphilis.
The state has had 78 confirmed cases of measles this year, in an outbreak that began in March. Of those 78 cases, 64 have been in the Somali refugee community.
[….]
Ann Corcoran, an expert on the resettlement industry who blogs at Refugee Resettlement Watch, said the industry is fond of churning out “bogus economic studies” that falsely inflate the value of refugees to U.S. communities.
[….]
“I am sick and tired of hearing reports on the economic benefits of the refugees that they pay and start businesses and create jobs, and in those studies they never discuss the true cost of health care, or the true cost to the criminal justice system from the numerous criminal trials, incarcerations, etc.,” Corcoran told WND. “Imagine what it costs to put refugees like Fazliddin Kurbanov away for life.”
[….]
“Have you ever seen a study on the cost of even short-term incarceration? It’s never in those bogus economic studies,” Corcoran said. “And the other thing that is never in there is the remittances that are gone from our economy. And you can bet your bottom dollar it’s not just wage earnings they’re sending back home. They’re sending welfare money back home, too. So you never see a net inflow or outflow of money from our economy in these phony economic studies touting how much these refugees boost our economy.”
Continue reading here and see what Minnesotan Deb Anderson has to say about the secrecy of the refugee industry in the state (are you listening Olivia?).
And, as someone more astute than I pointed out recently: If refugees bring economic prosperity, why isn’t every country in the world begging for more?
For much, much more on costly health and communicable diseases in our refugee population, go here where I have archived 331 previous posts.
Your assignment: Write to the White House and tell the President that you are sick of paying for sick refugees!