We can get excited about the slowdown in the normal refugee flow to America (see post yesterday), but here comes the very abnormal flow—58 of the Australia-rejected mostly single men who have been detained by the Aussies for as long as four years will now be free in America.
The deal, originally agreed to by Obama as he was walking out the door, represents an application of international refugee law that is simply unheard of and possibly illegal.
A legitimate asylum seeker is to ask for asylum in the first safe country in which he or she arrives. If Australia rejected them, they should be returned home, not given a ticket to America!
This batch is going to: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Georgia!
And, you know that resettlement contract agencies in those states know they are coming and this will all be kept secret from your ‘welcoming’ towns!
Here is the latest about the hush-hush movement of 58 of the men from mostly Middle Eastern countries to Anytown, USA.
From Australia’s SBS News (emphasis is mine):
Ian Rintoul, activist and refugee advocate, says 40 left on one flight on Tuesday morning bound for Manila where, he says, they’re due to be split up – one group bound for New York, the other group travelling on to Los Angeles.
One US resettlement agency has confirmed they are coming, but you can be sure that you, citizens of that town, will not be told!
US, Australian and United Nations authorities involved with the transfer have all refused to confirm or deny the transfer details, but at least one refugee agency in the United States told SBS News that they have received official advance notice of several arrivals. [Who?—ed]
Refugees will be resettled in locations which include North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia, according to information from refugee advocates and resettlement agencies.
26-year-old Shafiq Turi, who said he has been told he will be resettled this week in Elizabeth, New Jersey….
[….]
54 refugees from Nauru and PNG were resettled under the arrangement last year.
“I’m so happy for those people coming here,” said Reza Mohammad Nezhadtazkam, a 43 year old Iranian man from Manus Island who was resettled in Arizona last year.
So 58 in this group plus 54 last year, and 130 additional ready to go too!
The Guardian reports that roughly 130 people from Nauru will also be transferred in the upcoming cohort, with advocates expecting that a flight from Nauru will depart later this week.
‘A horrible deal’
The official shroud of secrecy around the transfers has made it challenging to report on the progress of the deal, which rose to prominence when it was the subject of a combative, leaked conversation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in January last year.
President Trump denounced the agreement as “a horrible deal, a disgusting deal” in the late January call, a transcript of which was later published by the Washington Post.
“This is going to kill me,” he said. “I am the world’s greatest person that does not want to let people into the country.”
[….]
Refugees are met at the airport by American resettlement agencies and taken to temporary accommodation when they reach their final destination.
As with all refugee arrivals in the United States, resettlement agencies then spend the next few days assisting refugees with applying for identification, government documents and employment services. [And WELFARE!—ed]
There is much more at SBS News, click here.
If there are any real investigative reporters out there, you could call resettlement agencies in each state mentioned and see if any will admit that they have Australia’s rejected ‘refugees’ to pick up at the airport shortly!
Go here to find a US State Department-funded resettlement agency near you!
And for new readers, see my entire archive on the “Dumb” Australia deal, here.