Dear Donald, give Bibi a gift today, cut federal funding to HIAS….

03/05/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

…..and help yourself too!

[On refugees] right now we’re setting a very bad example.

(HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield told the Israeli press last month)

It really is outrageous. Taxpayers shelled out $24,493,743 in federal grants to the ‘non-profit’ Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society according to its most recent Form 990 available and the group is in Israel community agitating and badmouthing the Trump Admin at the same time.

hetfield-at-wh — HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield at the White House last month protesting the Trump Administration refugee policy which reduces his organization’s income. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2018/02/17/australian-christian-magazine-goes-to-bat-for-us-refugee-resettlement-contractors/

HIAS (they changed their name a few years ago, dropped the Hebrew) is helping organize protests in Israel against the deportation of illegal aliens.
I’m not challenging their right to free speech elsewhere in the world, but shouldn’t there be some law against using taxpayer dollars to do it!
I’m sure they will say they have great bookkeepers working to keep their pots of money separate. However, their taxpayer funding makes up half of their budget each year and they couldn’t exist without it (and they sure couldn’t pay these huge salaries, below).
Here is news directly from the HIAS horse’s mouth:

The diverse coalition of Israeli and North American groups calling for more humane treatment of asylum seekers is gathering momentum at a critical juncture, with the first wave of deportations scheduled to begin in April.

[….]

While in Israel for a visit, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that he felt encouraged the narrative was finally beginning to shift back in favor of the asylum seekers.

“Israelis are beginning to realize these are people with asylum claims, and they should be given a fair asylum hearing,” he said.

“If the government is unable to set up a system that is fair, it should give these people social and economic rights until it is safe for them to go back home. We’re not talking about a lot of people anymore.” [Last figure I saw was 37,000, a very high number for a small country to absorb—-ed]

[….]

HIAS, along with partners at the New Israel Fund, T’ruah, and Right Now, organized a call-in day last week in coordination with the #LetUsHelp Campaign, urging North Americans to call their local Israeli consulates and ask them to stop the deportation plans.

In his interview with Haaretz, Hetfield spoke about the relationship between Israel’s policies and attitudes back home in the United States.

“In the eyes of the American-Jewish community – particularly the younger generation – this is very upsetting and it’s just going to cause further alienation from Israel,” he warned. [He hopes it will!—ed]

Hetfield also noted that Trump Administration’s policies may be playing a role.

“The United States often sets examples for how refugees and asylum seekers should be treated, and that’s what’s happening now. We either set a good example or a bad example – and right now we’re setting a very bad example.

And, to think that we help pay his exorbitant salary!
From that recent Form 990:
Screenshot (211)

Come on Mr. President, turn off their pipeline to the US Treasury!

Looking for something to do? Contact the White House and tell the President to cut HIAS loose!
For new readers:
HIAS is one of nine federal resettlement contractors.
The original Refugee Act of 1980, that set up this monstrosity, envisioned a public-private partnership that over the years has almost completely morphed in to a federal program.
The number in parenthesis is the percentage of their income paid by you (the taxpayer) to place the refugees and get them signed up for their services (aka welfare)! From most recent accounting, here.

More of Australia's rejected asylum seekers leave for US

03/05/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is an update on the movement of illegal aliens who tried to get in to Australia by boat, were placed in Australian detention centers, but thanks to former President Obama’s “dumb deal” they are coming to the US as refugees.

australian-detainees-on-the-way — Photo is of a bunch that was headed our way in January. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2018/01/23/australian-rejected-refugees-on-the-way-to-us-this-week/

(A refugee designation is the highest class of legal immigration one can hope to get because it comes with the works—a furnished apartment, job counseling, case workers to sign you up for your ‘services,’ etc.)
If you are a new reader, you need to know that Donald Trump agreed to honor the deal he once called “dumb,” but at least the administration seems to be slow-walking the process.
This time we learn that the latest batch includes a few families in addition to the larger number of single men, that Australia did not want on its mainland, being placed without your knowledge in Any Town, USA.
From the Australian AP via the Daily Mail:

Four more families of refugees and a cohort of single men have left immigration camps on Nauru to start new lives in the United States.

The group of 29, including eight children, who flew off the island nation on Sunday is the fifth cohort to depart Nauru under Australia’s refugee resettlement deal with the US.

They included two Sri Lankan, one Rohingyan and one Afghan family and single men from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, refugee advocates said.

Two hundred and twenty four of a projected 1,250 have been selected.

Since resettlements under the deal started in September, 139 refugees have left Nauru and 85 from Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.

Ian Rintoul — Australian open borders activist Rintoul wonders why no more vetting interviews have been scheduled.

However, the Refugee Action Coalition said it was remarkable there were no Iranian, Somali or Sudanese refugees among those who have left this year, despite Australian Border Force officials denying any particular nationalities were banned from resettling in the US. [It makes no sense that the Trump Admin is blocking Iranians, Somalis and Sudanese, but allowing Afghans, Pakistanis and Rohingya!—ed]

Hmmmm……slow-walk?

RAC spokesman Ian Rintoul said US officials were expected to remain in Nauru for another couple of weeks but had not yet scheduled any new vetting interviews for another round of refugees.

Under the deal Australia reached with the previous Obama administration – derided as the worst ever by now-president Donald Trump – the US agreed to take up to 1250 refugees from the offshore detention centres.

Go here to learn more about the Australian “dumb” deal. We have been following it for months.

Italian election: Anti-EU populism on the rise; immigration is key issue

03/05/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Invasion of Europe news….
Italians have had enough!

Italian refugees — Tired of images like this, Italians vote for change.

Italians went to the polls yesterday and CNN trumpets this morning headline:

Populist surge in Italy as voters back anti-immigrant, anti-establishment parties

Here is a bit of the story. Complete results will be available shortly, says CNN.

(CNN) Italy is facing a populist uprising after a surge in support for anti-European parties in Sunday’s parliamentary election, however no party received enough votes to rule alone meaning the country will likely enter a period of political deadlock.

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) made significant gains in Sunday’s vote though with 31% of the vote, it doesn’t have enough seats to form government, according to state broadcaster RAI.

The center-right coalition, which includes League — also known as the Northern League — along with former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the neo-fascist Brothers of Italy, is likely to form the largest bloc in both houses of the country’s parliament, a combined share of votes totaling over 37%.

Of its coalition partners, the anti-immigrant League attracted the largest share of the votes with 18% to Forza Italia’s 14%. The swing toward the League looks set to give the party as many as 123 seats in the lower house, up from 22 seats, a six-fold increase.

As no party secured a majority, the country faces weeks, if not months, of negotiations between groups with competing interests to form a government. Final results are expected to be released at 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET).

[….]

If projections are accurate, the result means that Italy could be plunged into months of further political deadlock that could have broader implications for Europe — both the League and the Five Star Movement are anti-EU parties.

Bannon in Italy 2 — Bannon was in Rome this week to cheer on the populists. All fine and dandy, but if he doesn’t want the original Trump populist movement to die in the US, he needs to re-energize/re-organize it, or find someone who will.

The rise of anti-European voices, both on the right and from the anti-establishment M5S, comes as Italians appear increasingly divided over issues such as undocumented immigration contributed to a rancorous campaign.

[….]

The populist parties’ gains in the polls were not lost on US President Donald Trump’s former strategic adviser Steve Bannon, who was in Rome to observe the elections.

Bannon said in an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper that an alliance between the anti-immigrant League party and the populist Five Star Movement was “the ultimate dream.”

“This election is crucial for the global populist movement” he said, saying it was an issue of “sovereignty” for Italians opposed to immigration.

More here.
Maybe there is hope for Italy, but they need to get tough and stop the migrant boats, send migrants back to where they came from and get busy having Italian babies! It is demography stupid!
My complete ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive is here.