We reported that an investigation was underway, here in February:
Biden Admin Halts Special Refugee Program for Iraqis Due to Fraud Bust
However, now the international corporate media is admitting it.
But, you need to know that this isn’t the first and won’t be the last admission that fraud is rampant in the US Refugee Admissions Program.
Longtime readers may remember the moratorium on Somalis entering the US that began back in 2008 when the State Department uncovered fraud in the family reunification program—oopsy the Somalis claiming to be family members weren’t even kissing cousins.
I followed that scam investigation:
State Department: Possibly tens of thousands of Somalis in the US illegally
In 2007, I first told readers about how Ted Kennedy secretively tacked the Special Iraqi program onto a must-pass Defense Authorization bill in the dark of night.
So here we are nearly 50,000 Iraqis later…
From Reuters this morning just in time for UN-designated World Refugee Day on Sunday:
Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) one of nine federal resettlement contractors*** is quoted as saying:
“Resettlement is a very scarce and valuable and lifesaving commodity,” said Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, a refugee resettlement agency.
“People … are going to do anything they can to access it.”
EXCLUSIVE U.S. suspects 4,000 cases of fraud in Iraqi refugee program -documents
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) – U.S. authorities pursuing a sweeping fraud investigation suspect some 4,000 Iraqis of filing fraudulent applications for resettlement in the United States as refugees, and they are re-examining cases involving more than 104,000 others, according to State Department reports reviewed by Reuters.
More than 500 Iraqis already admitted as refugees have been implicated in the alleged fraud and could be deported or stripped of their U.S. citizenship, according to one document sent to members of Congress. It said there was “no indication to date that any of these 500+ individuals have ties to terrorism.”
The probe – one of the biggest into refugee program fraud in recent history – is fueling reservations among some in Joe Biden’s administration as they debate whether to create a similar program to assist Afghan refugees as American troops withdraw after 20 years of war, U.S. officials told Reuters.
The reports show the investigation is more far-reaching and serious than U.S. officials have disclosed since announcing in January a 90-day freeze of the Iraqi “Direct Access” refugee program. The suspension, which in April was extended indefinitely by the State Department, followed the unsealing of an indictment accusing three foreign nationals of fraud, records theft and money laundering.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the scope of the investigation and internal government deliberations, but said the fraud scheme did not affect security vetting of refugees.
“The discovery, investigation, and prosecution of individuals involved in the scheme demonstrated the U.S. government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the program while upholding our humanitarian tradition,” the spokesperson said. “Those who would seek to take advantage of America’s generosity in welcoming the most vulnerable people will be held accountable.”
The spokesperson did not give a timeline for the investigation, but said the agency would work “as quickly and thoroughly as possible” to complete the review and make any necessary security changes.
Now this next part doesn’t make any sense to me because we are already bringing tens of thousands of Afghans here in the Special Immigrant Visa Program, the same one that the Iraqis used.
Here is one post on the Afghans from 2019:
You can see here that over 2,000 Afghans have been admitted in just the present fiscal year. How many did your state ‘welcome?’
Back to Reuters:
Under pressure from lawmakers of both parties and advocacy groups, the Biden administration is considering a similar program for Afghans facing Taliban retribution, according to a State Department official, a congressional aide and a lawmaker.
But there “are a lot of reservations” about expediting the resettlement of Afghans as refugees in the United States, said the State Department official, citing the problems with the Iraqi program.
There is much, much more so continue reading here.
I just took a trip down memory lane and see that I have a lot of posts on the Special Immigrant Visa Program and here is one in particular you should see. Obama Judge rules that we aren’t bringing sufficient numbers of Iraqis and Afghans!
Judge Says Trump Admin Not Moving Fast Enough Bringing in Iraqi and Afghan Special Visa Holders
***In case you are new to RRW, here are the nine contractors that have monopolized all refugee distribution in the US for decades.
When President Trump reduced the number of regular refugees being admitted, he did continue the Iraq and Afghan special refugees program and the contractors, we learned, were surviving off their payouts to resettle them.
Foreigners First! is their motto.
