This is how progressives do it! They set up overtly political organizations masquerading as simply humanitarian enterprises and get most of their operating capital from taxpayers!
When I wrote yesterday’s post about the three refugee resettlement contractors, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Church World Service and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service***, hiring a legal firm to sue the President over his September Executive Order, I wondered who funded the International Refugee Assistance Project?
The lawsuit aims to stop the Trump Administration from taking local citizens concerns into account when the feds (with their paid contractors) place refugees quietly into communities large and small.
They will argue in court that refugee law already has a process for taking local concerns into account, but if they think the quarterly consultations are sufficient, let me tell you they are not!
At the local level the contractors and their government supporters do everything in their power (including locking doors and changing meeting locations) to block attendance of critics of the program.
And, of course quarterly consultations are done after the town or city has become a resettlement city. There is no process in place to give citizens an opportunity to speak up before the city has been chosen.
As I said yesterday, I suspect this is all about attacking Trump AND raking in more money for the organizations bringing the suit.
Here is what you should know about the International Refugee Assistance Project created just last year and headed by Becca Heller.
They are a project of a New York City-based supposedly charitable organization called the Urban Justice Center, set up over three decades ago to protect vulnerable poor people in New York.
Here is what wikipedia reports:
The Urban Justice Center is a non-profit legal services and advocacy organization serving the New York City area. It is known as an incubator for progressive programs and initiatives and for being a significant legal presence in the struggles of New York’s poverty stricken and minority populations.
[….]
The UJC sponsors the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), which works to organize law students and lawyers to develop and enforce legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons. They have offices in New York City, Jordan, and Lebanon. IRAP is a plaintiff in the 2017 decision International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump and co-counsel in Darweesh v. Trump. [Someone will need to update wikipedia with their latest stop Trump case—ed]
The Urban Justice Center is largely funded with taxpayer dollars!
According to the most recent Form 990 available, the UJC pulled in $19.4 million in government grants in a total income stream that year of $31.2 million, making them 62% taxpayer funded!
Tell your kids to grow up to be CEOs of non-profit ‘charities!’
Head honcho Lasdon received $224,873 in direct compensation and another $8,995 in other compensation from the organization or related organizations.
I’m chuckling as I recall telling a young friend who worked for peanuts for another NYC charity for poor people to look up how much the CEO was making. My friend was shocked and didn’t stay much longer….
*** In case you think I’m picking on HIAS, I’ll shortly have my posts done on CWS and LIRS! They are even more heavily funded by you—the taxpayers of America!