Month: May 2020

Minnesota County Plans to Vote on Refugee Resettlement Permission on Tuesday

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This news was a surprise.  I had been assuming all along that since the President’s Executive Order had been halted in the courts and that the Chinese virus crisis had halted almost all (but not all!) refugee resettlement that county governments had simply swept the sore subject under the proverbial rug.

Not so in St. Louis County, MN where a vote is expected on Tuesday although the public will not be there as they were here in January (seems strange that there were actually crowded meetings like this only a few months ago!):

Such meetings a thing of the past?

 

From the Duluth News Tribune:

Controversial county board meeting moved out of Buhl

Meetings will still be held online. Tuesday’s proceedings on refugee resettlement consent had figured to draw a large crowd.

 

The St. Louis County Board has seen its controversial upcoming Tuesday meeting moved out of Buhl and made online-only. The online meeting will emanate from the Virginia [MN] Government Services Center, county administration said in a news release Wednesday.

Meetings at the courthouse in Duluth and other locations throughout the county have been moved online for the past two months, since the county’s emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to make sure everyone is safe,” Commissioner Frank Jewell, representing downtown Duluth, said during an online board workshop Tuesday, May 19.

Commissioner Keith Nelson, of Virginia, has been adamant the meeting — scheduled for the Buhl Senior Center and set to address the politically charged issue of refugee resettlement consent — should be a physical meeting held in public.

Earlier this month, he described the idea of moving the meeting as “a travesty.”

“We listened for many hours on multiple occasions to folks very much in support of this resolution,” Nelson said May 12. “I have listened to many hours, too, from constituents of mine that are absolutely not in support. They are asking when do they get their turn?”

The subject of refugee settlement consent had been tabled to Tuesday, May 26, during a board meeting in Duluth in January, following three hours of public testimony. Other board meetings, including one in Hibbing prior to COVID-19 restrictions, have also included several members of the public addressing the refugee resettlement issue. Citizens to date have been predominantly in favor of consenting to refugee resettlement.

[….]

The issue of refugee resettlement consent sprang up last winter, after President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring counties to consent to resettlement. Notably, Beltrami County in Minnesota voted against giving its consent. Many counties, including neighboring Carlton County, declined to take it up after a federal judge blocked the order, nullifying the need for boards to act.

Still, because the St. Louis County Board tabled its consent resolution, it will come up Tuesday.

Citizens of St. Louis County have a few days to comment!

In its news release Wednesday, the county said citizens can submit public comments for the public comment portion or for specific board agenda items prior to the meeting by emailing them to publiccomment@stlouiscountymn.gov, or by calling 218-726-2110 and leaving a recorded comment, or by raising your “virtual hand” while using the Webex software during the board meeting.

More here.

I have no idea of where the Executive Order court case stands these days, but with the COVID slowdown and a Presidential election in a few short months, there is not much happening with the UN/US Refugee Resettlement Program.

I do know this!  If Joe Biden (or any Dem wins in November) the refugee floodgates will be thrown open.

Sweden: Iraqi Refugee Accused of Decapitating Swedish Girlfriend

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

Invasion of Europe news…..

She had gone to his home to collect her belongings after breaking up with him.  Sick story at the UK Daily Mail (hat tip: Paul):

Swedish girl, 17, was decapitated ‘by Iraqi-born boyfriend, 23, who wrapped her head in aluminium foil’ after she broke up with him in case that has shocked the country

The story at the Voice of Europe says the alleged murderer is an Iraqi Kurd. https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/05/sweden-migrant-charged-with-murdering-his-girlfriend-and-chopping-her-into-pieces/

 

A 17-year-old girl was beheaded by her ex-boyfriend after breaking up with him in Sweden, it is alleged.

Wilma Andersson vanished on November 14 last year and police found a ‘body part’ two weeks later – which was later revealed to be her head.

Her ex-boyfriend Tishko Ahmed Shabaz was arrested at the time and has now been charged with her murder, which he denies.

Shabaz is accused of decapitating Wilma when she went to collect her belongings before wrapping her head in foil and hiding it at his home.

Read on if you can stomach it.

My Sweden file is here.  I’ve long predicted it will be the first European country to be completely annihilated by its own stupidity regarding immigration.

Find my Invasion of Europe archive by clicking here.

Germany No Longer the Go-to Country in Europe for Migrants Seeking Asylum

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Invasion of Europe news….

More poverty for St. Louis!

As I said the other day, there isn’t much news about refugees in the US in the wake of the Chinese virus shutdown except for the fluffy-puffy stories like this one from St. Louis where we learn about the challenging times (no jobs!) a new refugee family from the DR Congo is having as they arrived in the US (in March!) in the midst of stay at home orders.

Still no word when the US would fully open the refugee pipeline, however I see that according to data at the Refugee Processing Center  we have admitted 35 refugees since May 1.

None came from the DR Congo.  They came from various countries with the largest number (14) coming from Syria.  Those 14 Syrians were resettled in Idaho, NY and NC.

Meanwhile the Chinese Virus has caused some shifting in target countries (we are told) with fewer migrants seeking asylum in Germany and more going to Spain. Of course that makes no sense to me as Spain has a huge death toll from the virus.

However, this was enlightening and surely explains the attraction to Spain: Spain is welcoming large numbers of asylum seekers from Colombia, Venezuela and Honduras.  They must be flying into Spain and simply asking for asylum when they land.

From I am Expat.  Story also at Deutsche Welle, here.

Germany no longer top destination for asylum seekers in Europe

The number of asylum seekers arriving in the European Union decreased significantly in the first quarter of 2020. Spain has overtaken Germany as the country receiving the most asylum applications – suggesting that the coronavirus epidemic is shifting long-standing migration patterns.

Asylum applications in Europe down 25 percent

The number of asylum applications submitted to EU member states, Switzerland and Norway went down by 25 percent in the first four months of 2020, Die Welt reported last week, citing as-yet unpublished numbers from the EU’s asylum agency EASO.

The movement of Venezuelans to Spain has been going on for nearly 4 years. Could not find more up-to-date image. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45640307

From the beginning of January to the end of April, a total of 164.718 asylum applications were submitted. During the same period in 2019, more than 220.000 applications were received. This year, Spain received the most applications (37.471) – mostly from migrants from Colombia, Venezuela and Honduras.

The uptick in migration from Latin America means that Germany – traditionally the top destination in Europe for asylum seekers – fell in the first quarter of the year to second place, with 33.714 applications, of which 23 percent came from Syria, 9,3 percent from Iraq and 7,7 percent from Afghanistan.

The next top destinations included France with 28.710 applications, Greece (21.153) and Italy (8.025).

Another reason Germany may have lost its luster is that Germany requires asylum seekers to live in reception centers and there are an increasing number of reports of asylum seekers held in German refugee ‘camps’  infected with COVID-19.

Open Borders activists are raising a ruckus, but note that most of those who tested positive are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms.

From Deutsche Welle:

Coronavirus outbreak hits refugee home in Germany

At least 70 people at a refugee home near Bonn have tested positive for COVID-19. News of the outbreak prompted calls for better protection for asylum-seekers and more testing at the often crowded facilities.

[….]

Most of the people who have tested positive for the virus either had mild or no symptoms, the district government said.

The residents who tested positive have been isolated, authorities said, adding that 60 people whose tests came back negative have been transferred to another home.

Testing ‘happening far too late’

News of the outbreak prompted swift criticism, with politicians urging for better protections for asylum-seekers.

[….]

Asylum-seekers in Germany are required to live in “reception centers,” or shared accommodations, during their asylum applications. Many live with several hundred other inhabitants, with some sharing rooms with strangers.

The conditions and lack of privacy in Germany’s facilities for asylum-seekers have long been criticized by refugee and immigrant rights groups, with the coronavirus pandemic raising fears among asylum-seekers and activists alike.

More here.

My ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive is here.

“Carnage” at Cox’s Bazar update:

In case you are wondering how the Rohingya in Bangladesh are faring with the arrival of the virus, there is no additional news and apparently no spreading like wildfire yet.  We are watching!

 

Will the Chinese Virus Bring “Carnage” to Cox’s Bazar?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

“Now that the virus has entered the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar we are looking at the very real prospect that thousands of people may die from COVID-19.”

(Dr. Shamim Jahan)

 

Two days ago I told you that the first cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed at a refugee camp in Bangladesh housing tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims.

The mainstream media has been predicting “catastrophic” carnage for weeks.

I’m going to report on the effect on the camp in the days and weeks ahead because I think it will be illustrative on the issue of social distancing.

I’m not wishing for a certain outcome, nor am I predicting what will happen.  I will just report.

When it comes to anything to do with the Rohingya, the mainstream media’s myopic view is not to be trusted. Combined with its coverage of COVID, finding facts will be a challenge.

In breathless tones I see that NPR, the Hill, Deutsche Welle, the BBC and Reuters are all jumping on the news they have been waiting for over the last two months.

Here is NPR with its dramatic headline:

COVID-19 Has Arrived In Rohingya Refugee Camps And Aid Workers Fear The Worst

 

It’s the moment international aid groups have been dreading for months — the coronavirus has reached the sprawling refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar district of southern Bangladesh, home to roughly a million Rohingya refugees.

Save the Children’s health director in Bangladesh, Dr. Shamim Jahan.

Bangladesh officials said on Thursday that at least two people living in or adjacent to the camps have tested positive for the coronavirus and have now been quarantined amid fears of a humanitarian disaster if the virus spreads unchecked.

“I’m deeply concerned, but, sadly, not surprised at all,” Deepmala Mahla, CARE’s regional director for Asia, told NPR.

“I am scared, I am worried, but I also feel that this is a stark reminder how vulnerable the Rohingya refugees are,” she said.

Save the Children’s health director in Bangladesh, Dr. Shamim Jahan, is worried, too. In a statement, he warned of the “catastrophic” effect of the virus on the Rohingya, and on Bangladesh in general.

“Now that the virus has entered the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar we are looking at the very real prospect that thousands of people may die from COVID-19,” he said.

Continue reading here.

See my Rohingya Reports category with over 200 posts extending back a dozen years.  The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group that is permitted to be resettled in the US (there is no Muslim ban!).

COVID Forcing Companies to Move Faster Toward Automation

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

What does that mean for the masses of refugees and other immigrants waiting to find a spot on the chicken or pork processing line in America?

Frankly, it spells doom and our great minds in Washington had better be working on a plan for managing the millions admitted to the US each year as cheap expendable labor.

“As companies have recovered their revenues and reopened their supply chains, they have increasingly invested not on rehiring the workforce but on automation and on reducing their dependence on manpower.”

(Leslie Joseph at Foresters)

The story is from Forbes and it addresses one of the many changes coming to America in the wake of the Chinese virus ‘crisis.’

Coronavirus Is Forcing Companies To Speed Up Automation, For Better And For Worse

Coronavirus will force companies to speed up their plans to replace jobs with automation, according to a report published by analyst company Forrester. In its report, Forrester notes that many companies are set to invest more in automation than in rehiring in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, corroborating earlier reports that had claimed many businesses were already planning to accelerate their automation strategies.

The news comes as businesses ponder how they can resume working amid lockdowns and social distancing. And while many will take the news as confirmation of their worst automation-themed fears, Forrester’s report urges companies who haven’t already done so to ramp up their automation plans. Indeed, Forrester holds that automation may become key to surviving a coronavirus recession, at least as far as businesses are concerned.

Let’s hope some in Washington are thinking ahead, but don’t hold your breath!

Update:  After I had posted this story, I spotted this one at The New Yorker entitled:

An A.F.L.-C.I.O. Adviser Considers the Future of American Workers

It is all about Presidential politics, race and voting, but a key word is missing when Michael Podhorzer, the former political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., who now serves as a senior adviser to the union’s president, Richard Trumka, discusses the future of the American worker in the wake of COVID.

The missing word is AUTOMATION!