“It’s a bargaining tool: We’ll take a certain number of refugees. These are the things you will do for us.”
(Melanie Nezer, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)
This is just a quick post as I am researching WTH Secretary of State Pompeo was doing when he had a little chit-chat about refugees with the now under- fire Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in October.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Before I get to the little nugget I discovered in a 2018 Politicoarticle about Pompeo, I want to remind long time readers, and inform new readers, that way back seven years ago (and long before that) the US State Department annually invited comment on the coming years refugee plans.
However, when those so-called scoping meetings began to be dominated by those of us who want the refugee program dumped or reformed, they stopped having the annual (albeit phony) ‘hearings.’
The Trump State Department has had no such opportunity for public input.
I regularly sent in testimony demanding a moratorium on the program and listed ten reasons, most are still applicable today. See them here.
Here is my Number 7:
7) Congress needs to specifically disallow the use of the refugee program for other purposes of the US Government,especially using certain refugee populations to address unrelated foreign policy objectives—Uzbeks, Kosovars, Meshketians and Bhutanese (Nepalese) people come to mind.
“Pompeo is the critical stakeholder,” one refugee advocate said.
Melanie Nezer of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. (One of nine federal refugee resettlement contractors.)
Now that he’s served both as CIA director and secretary of state, activists hope that Pompeo has earned an appreciation for the diplomatic leverage having a robust refugee program can give the U.S. in negotiations with other countries.
“It’s a bargaining tool: We’ll take a certain number of refugees. These are the things you will do for us,” explained Melanie Nezer, a top official with HIAS, one of several organizations that helps refugees.
It is time to shut up about the humanitarian BS! A refugee should be someone who is in legitimate need of protection, not a chip in a foreign policy poker game.
Think about that! Your community will be changed forever (while you pay for it with your tax dollars) because refugees being admitted to the US are pawns in US foreign policy wheeling and dealing!
6 thoughts on “Refugee Resettlement Used as a [Expletive] Bargaining Chip! Do I Smell a Quid Pro Quo?”
“A refugee should be someone who is in legitimate need of protection,…” I think the only immigration/refugee that should be allowed into the US are those that add benefit to our country and are not a public charge. There will always be those that need protection but we can’t protect the whole world and bring them all here. When does it end? Never. Here in Minnesota our taxes continue to rise, I can no longer go downtown, our cities and roads are overcrowded…it’s enough. We can’t protect the whole world.
Ann, Your list of reasons why not of 2015 is excellent. Maybe send again to the Trump admin Pompeo with updates. I agree with the notion that it should not be a bargaining chip. Even the US military begs for interpreters to get Special Immigrant visa’s (refugees status) so that they have help in their wars. Iraqi’s and Afghans do not make the best American citizens. Their cultures are so foreign. I met an Afghan Uber driver in San Diego that hates it here but he feels stuck. It is very interesting when you actually talk to the refugees about their lives. In my community refugees don’t speak english after 10 years here. One in particular goes home regularly to visit family and friends. What? That was a result of the UN wanting to clean out their Thai camps. No violence anymore but they are here now and have a taste of the good life, health care, welfare etc. Why go back except just to visit on vacation. She will probably bring her family here too.
Do they not realize how unpopular the refugee program is?
The Republican governor of South Dakota asked for more refugees. Someone got to her for her to agree to this. Our last governor got campaign money from the people who run LSS in Sioux Falls. Is that what is going on?
Sadly what our governor doesn’t realize she very likely will be a one term governor because of this. She doesn’t realize how many votes she lost because of this. The governor race was close so she can’t afford to lose many votes next time around. I’m afraid she just cooked her goose! The democrats won’t vote for her and neither will LSS. Seems she was a useful idiot !
LOL! Actually I have been planning to write about her and her new fan club headed by Taneeza Islam! Can I quote you? I think it is most likely campaign money from large corporations looking for labor combined with fear of being called names that is driving much of the mass capitulation by spineless Republicans.
“A refugee should be someone who is in legitimate need of protection,…” I think the only immigration/refugee that should be allowed into the US are those that add benefit to our country and are not a public charge. There will always be those that need protection but we can’t protect the whole world and bring them all here. When does it end? Never. Here in Minnesota our taxes continue to rise, I can no longer go downtown, our cities and roads are overcrowded…it’s enough. We can’t protect the whole world.
Exactly! When will it end? When we become the hellhole they have made of their own countries! LOL! I’m not in a peaceful mood this Christmas eve!
Ann, Your list of reasons why not of 2015 is excellent. Maybe send again to the Trump admin Pompeo with updates. I agree with the notion that it should not be a bargaining chip. Even the US military begs for interpreters to get Special Immigrant visa’s (refugees status) so that they have help in their wars. Iraqi’s and Afghans do not make the best American citizens. Their cultures are so foreign. I met an Afghan Uber driver in San Diego that hates it here but he feels stuck. It is very interesting when you actually talk to the refugees about their lives. In my community refugees don’t speak english after 10 years here. One in particular goes home regularly to visit family and friends. What? That was a result of the UN wanting to clean out their Thai camps. No violence anymore but they are here now and have a taste of the good life, health care, welfare etc. Why go back except just to visit on vacation. She will probably bring her family here too.
Do they not realize how unpopular the refugee program is?
The Republican governor of South Dakota asked for more refugees. Someone got to her for her to agree to this. Our last governor got campaign money from the people who run LSS in Sioux Falls. Is that what is going on?
Sadly what our governor doesn’t realize she very likely will be a one term governor because of this. She doesn’t realize how many votes she lost because of this. The governor race was close so she can’t afford to lose many votes next time around. I’m afraid she just cooked her goose! The democrats won’t vote for her and neither will LSS. Seems she was a useful idiot !
LOL! Actually I have been planning to write about her and her new fan club headed by Taneeza Islam! Can I quote you? I think it is most likely campaign money from large corporations looking for labor combined with fear of being called names that is driving much of the mass capitulation by spineless Republicans.