The other day we reported that the Texas governor withdrew the state from the FEDERAL Refugee Admissions Program (RAP) and some of you gave a sigh of relief (prematurely).
The federal government’s Office of Refugee Resettlement wasted no time in informing Texas that you will be a so-called ‘Wilson-Fish’ state. I suspect other states that ‘withdrew’ recently including Kansas and New Jersey are probably already W-F states and experienced maybe a few months of bureaucratic chaos, but that resettlements there are probably moving right ahead. (Disgusted, I have not followed the Kansas, New Jersey saga since the governors made their announcements there back in the spring.)
We contend that the entire Wilson-Fish program, which is one where the state government has given up any role and a NON-PROFIT group is now running the show, is unconstitutional.
Think about it, in these states*** decisions about spending state taxpayer money is being made between the federal government and an unaccountable NON-PROFIT group. (If you want to know more about Wilson-Fish, click here for our extensive archive).
Frankly Governor Abbott’s action of last week will only matter if he now sues the federal government on Tenth Amendment grounds.
Tennessee, also a Wilson-Fish state, has a lawsuit ready to go, but who knows when they will pull the trigger.
Here is the latest from KXXV.TV:
WACO, TX (KXXV) –The State of Texas has withdrawn from the federal refugee resettlement program after the governor stated it did not receive assurances it asked from the federal government. However, the federal agency who oversees the program stated this will not stop current services provided to refugees or future resettlement.
[….]
The Office of Refugee Resettlement said in a statement that it will continue to help current refugees and accept more into Texas.
“While we, of course, regret Texas’s decision, ORR is working to appoint designees to administer services to refugees in Texas until a later time when competitive bids will be accepted for a Wilson-Fish alternative program,” ORR said in a statement.
The Wilson-Fish programs serve as a replacement for a state when a state government doesn’t participate in the refugee assistance program, according to ORR.
This all points back to my recent harping!
It is the Republican Congress that has the power over the program right now because it is Congress that holds the purse strings.
And, it is Congress that could reform or abolish the Refugee Act of 1980 (and the later unconstitutional Wilson-Fish provisions). If Hillary doesn’t get to the White House!
However, Governor Abbott’s actions and any other state and local efforts to begin to control the monster are important actions so that the public becomes increasingly informed about what is happening to their communities. Every time you make the news or hold public meetings or write letters to the editor, you are waking up more people where you live, but then the next step is focusing like a laser on your Washington representatives.
(Every time you hold a public meeting be sure those in attendance know who your Congressman and Senators are and give them calling instructions before they leave the meeting!)
It is Congress and the President who will make the ultimate decisions about whether we will be flooded with impoverished third worlders many coming from countries that hate us!
If you live in Texas and are praising the Governor, please continue to do so, but you have a very powerful Congressional delegation in the state and one Congressman in particular, Rep. Brian Babin, willing to take on the powerful pro-refugee lobby (including the Chamber of Commerce!).
You need to breathe down the necks of the Texas delegation in Washington. Tell them to defund the Refugee Admissions Program. Click here for the list.
They are all back in Texas campaigning and they will be returning (even the losers) for the Lame Duck session beginning in November. There is one more shot this year to DEFUND the program and it will be in November and December!
Find them as they campaign and tell them what you think of the Refugee Admissions Program in Texas (it receives more refugees than any other state—they are turning red states blue!).
I hear ‘Mom for Trump’ calling…..
Ann, could you tell all your readers on a daily basis to call our useless Congress @ 202 224 3121 and have them say DEFUND REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM. I call daily and if enough of us do so, we can make a difference.
***Wilson-Fish states where the feds and a NON-PROFIT federal contractor call all the shots and your elected government has virtually no role.
Alabama
Alaska
Colorado
Idaho
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Nevada
North Dakota
South Dakota
Tennessee
Vermont
I suspect these two are now officially W-F, but have not followed them recently:
Kansas
New Jersey