Category: 2012 Presidential Campaign

Ho hum Haitians get to stay

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Obama Administration has extended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who were already (some illegally!) in the US prior to the earthquake in 2010 (or likely some who snuck in after the earthquake!).  This is nothing new for Democrat or Republican administrations.  No one ever goes home who was granted TPS status.  After years and years (decades!) in the US, the pitch is made—-how can we send them back now after they have bought homes, started businesses and sent kids to school?

From Immigration News:

The Associated Press reports the U.S. government is giving Haitians displaced by the 2010 earthquake more time to legally live and work while their Caribbean homeland rebuilds. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has extended Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an additional 18 months. The immigration benefits had been set to expire in January but now Haitians with TPS status can register for an extension beginning January 23, 2013 through July 22, 2014.

But remember!  There is no path to citizenship and these Haitians, although they will have drivers’ licenses and the right to work, cannot VOTE!

They are all waiting for the big amnesty to come if Obama is reelected.

Colorado: African refugees want to vote for Obama to get (more!) healthcare

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The problem is that many are NOT US citizens and (hopefully!) are NOT voting!

However, if it were up to the  Colorado African Organization(CAO) they would all be signed up!  Before I get to the story in The World from yesterday, keep in mind that the CAO is a mini-ACORN, sometimes called an Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO)***.   The basic idea is that they help immigrants of their chosen ethnic group get signed-up for their welfare and at the same time become political ADVOCATES for the “community.”   And, here is the kicker—-YOU are paying for it with your tax dollars!

Here is the story from swing-state Colorado (emphasis mine).  It begins as they all do with a representative sob story:

Doh-Taka (open the link to read her story, if she had her fibroids removed, there should be no limitation on her returning to work—ed) is in a bind many refugees and asylees face – living in a new country without health insurance. [What!  She had health insurance in her old country?—ed] That is slated to change soon. Refugees, as legal immigrants, are eligible for the same protections and benefits as US citizens under the Affordable Care Act. Many of the provisions of the Act take effect in 2014, including a rule that insurance companies cannot deny or charge higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions.

Doh-Taka’s story isn’t unique, nor is it special to immigrants, refugees, or asylees. But navigating the healthcare system is especially difficult for refugees, who often have a superficial understanding of American culture, institutions, and English.

“The Affordable Care Act is going to really help people understand and utilize the healthcare system that’s available for them,” said Kit Taintor, the executive director at the Colorado African Organization, a group that helps African immigrants build new lives.   [Here the reader is led to believe that the CAO is just a friendly struggling non-profit out to help the poor and downtrodden—ed]

Obamacare will streamline their health care (don’t believe it for a minute!).

Right now, Taintor said healthcare for refugees is a “cumbersome” process.

“For the first 90 days they get refugee medical assistance, and then they switch over to Medicaid, which requires recertification of forms and filling out all of these things. So they tend to let Medicaid lapse, even if they’re eligible for it. So I think that what this (The Affordable Care Act) is going to allow is for people to really extend what they think healthcare is and how it can support them and their families.”

We want Obama because we want our health care (which we just learned that they already have through Medicaid):

The African refugees I met in Denver didn’t have the greatest understanding of the nuances of healthcare reform, but all strongly support it. And from my totally unscientific polling, nearly all support President Obama. In Colorado, there are an estimated 35,000 African immigrants and refugees; precise data aren’t available. In a tightly contested election, could this small group like this give the president enough votes to take the state?

“I doubt that’s a large enough community to make a really substantial impact on the election,” said Seth Masket, an associate professor of political science at the University of Denver. “But given how close this election is likely to be, almost any constituency of any size could end up being pivotal.”

One problem for the president: Those still legally classified as refugees, by definition, can’t vote.

The ones I met were all striving to improve their English and study for the citizenship exam so they could become citizens. I asked Ismail Ahmed, a refugee from Sudan, why he wants to vote. His English was pretty basic: “Healthcare, I like that.”

So, now what do we know about the Colorado African Organization?

In a free country there is no problem with non-profits forming to help “their people.”   However, you need to know that taxpayers are the majority contributors to this organization and that “advocacy” is a large part of what they do—including getting Africans registered to vote!

So, now have a look at their most recent IRS Form 990.   Page 9 is the important page where we can see their revenue for that year.  Note that they took in $607,125.   And, of that $497,205 comes from you as government grants!  They couldn’t exist without 82% of their funds coming from taxpayers!

Another $22,252 was service revenue which probably included government contracts.  That leaves a paltry $87,668 that came from private donations from places probably like the Tides Foundation and other left-leaning foundations and companies (which are looking for cheap labor!).

So, just like the now discredited giant, ACORN, they use taxpayer money and advocate for leftwing issues and politicians (and register voters in election year!).   It is “community organizing” with an ethnic twist!

*** We have a category on ECBOs .  I haven’t written many posts there recently, but it’s worth having a look at.

New readers might also want to visit our “health issues” category to see the many health problems associated with refugees entering the US from third world countries.   Be sure to see the post from September about the cases of TB we are admitting to the US.  A little surgery for fibroids is nothing compared to what that TB treatment is going to cost our healthcare system!

Somalis being bused in to Ohio polling place, are they citizens?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update #2:  For the new readers searching for information on who resettles Somalis in Ohio, here is one list of the federal contractors.   However, keep in mind that many Somalis there might be the result of so-called “secondary migration,” that is that they were resettled elsewhere but gravitated to Ohio because others of their ethnic background told them it was a good place to live.

Update:  No sooner had I posted this than I noticed that this older post of mine about Columbus, Ohio Somalis wanting taxpayer funded stuff from those they elect to office has been getting lots of hits this afternoon.  Check it out.

The other day I mentioned that in Maryland, Help Save Maryland was making flyers available to prospective immigrant voters that tell them what the law is (and the consequences of breaking the law!) involving casting a vote as a  non-citizen, here.

Now I see on Drudge today that the story I heard about through the grapevine two days ago has been reported, here at Human Events by blogger Sara Marie Brenner.

This is the gist of the story (Sara Marie Brenner is a special correspondent for Human Events, is a member of the Powell, Ohio City Council and blogs about politics at the Brenner Brief.)

While it’s not unusual for get-out-the-vote groups to help voters get to the polls, the volunteers who talked to Human Events observed a number of troubling and questionable activities.

A source, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a volunteer outside the Morse Road polling center.  She has witnessed Somalis who cannot speak English come to the polling center. They are brought in groups, by van or bus. The Democrats hand them a slate card and say, “vote Brown all the way down.” Given that Sherrod Brown is the incumbent Democrat Senator in Ohio, one can assume that this is the reference.

Non-English speaking voters may use an interpreter. The interpreters are permitted by law to interpret for the individual voting; however, they are forbidden from influencing their vote in any way. Another source who also wishes to remain anonymous has seen Democrat interpreters show the non-English speaking Somalis how to vote the Democrat slate that they were handed outside. According to this second source, there are not any Republican Somali interpreters available.

The logical follow-up question is whether a non-English speaking person is an American citizen. (That is my question too!—ed)

It is pretty easy to cheat!

Essentially, a person is asked to check a box stating that they are a citizen, and the poll worker is to trust that they are the person who is listed on the item being shown or the information being written. In other words, someone can be an illegal resident of the state of Ohio and the United States, get an apartment, turn on the heat, bring in the Columbia Gas bill, register to vote by the deadline, and vote by showing that same bill. There is then no verification that this individual is a citizen of the United States.

Does this make sense?

According to the Somali Community Association of Ohio’s web site, over 45,000 Somalis live in Ohio. Only 40 percent have become citizens of the United States, and only 25 percent speak English well enough to get a job.

So how did they speak English well enough to pass a citizenship test????

For new readers:   We have written about twenty posts in which we mention Ohio Somalis.  You can review that archive here.   Also, new readers should know that we have been admitting Somali refugees for going on thirty years.  From this post I wrote in 2008 you can get a feel for the size of the US Somali refugee population which is well over 100,000 by now. Thirty years of having large families gives them a big advantage in the demographics game.

In Maryland, reminding immigrants they must be US citizens in order to vote

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update:  Another report of Somalis voting who can’t speak English, this time in Kansas.  If they can’t speak English how did they pass their citizenship test?   Update October 27th:  More on Somalis voting in Ohio.

Voting without citizenship is a crime!

Some readers may know that Maryland voters will decide on November 6th whether to overturn a law passed by the legislature in 2011 and signed by Governor Martin O’Malley to give illegal aliens instate tuition rates at Maryland colleges.  The ballot question will ask voters to vote for or against the O’Malley law.   It is the first law successfully petitioned to referendum in the state in 20 years.   So you can see the incentive to try to cheat by those who would reap the benefit is pretty great in a state not used to conservative taxpaying citizens having much of a voice.

An aside:  yesterday someone reported to me that busloads of Somalis were arriving at Ohio polling places for early voting.  Of course Somalis have been here for a long time and many have become US citizens, but I do hope no one is leading those who aren’t citizens astray because deportation is one of the possible outcomes identified by Help Save Maryland if non-citizens vote.

Readers here may not know that there is a national grassroots campaign first set up by True the Vote but expanding to all fifty states where citizens are working to clean up voter rolls and improve election integrity.  In Maryland the group is known as Election Integrity Maryland, and it isn’t just about Election 2012 but will be an on-going effort for years to come.

This is a cross-post from Potomac Tea Party Report.  I assume other groups, like Help Save Maryland, in other states are undertaking similar efforts to educate non-citizens about voting.

Help Save Maryland launches campaign to remind immigrants that they must be US citizens to vote

Below is the press release from yesterday.  I would like to add that with increased efforts on-going now in Maryland to clean up voter rolls it will become increasingly possible to identify non-citizen voters.  And, no matter who wins the Presidency in November, this issue of election integrity will be a leading issue in Maryland for years to come.

ROCKVILLE, MD– Help Save Maryland – a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots citizens’ organization – launched an educational campaign to remind immigrants that if they are not U.S. citizens, then voting in a federal or state election can be a serious crime.

Help Save Maryland is distributing an informational flyer, “Voting Without Citizenship is a Crime” in 5 languages – English, Spanish, French, Korean and Chinese.

“Maryland is home to over 730,000 people born outside of the United States,” says Brad Botwin, Director of Help Save Maryland.  “Many of them are not yet naturalized citizens.  As a service to the community, we want to make sure that all non-citizen immigrants — legal and illegal — don’t make a terrible mistake on November 6th.”

While a few Maryland jurisdictions allow non-citizens to vote in their local elections, in general, non-citizens who vote in Maryland federal and state elections may be subject to fines, imprisonment and/or deportation.  Even registering to vote, or encouraging other non-citizens to register to vote, is a serious crime in Maryland, punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

The problem has been made worse by Maryland’s past history of giving drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens. And organizations, such as CASA de Maryland, which provide services to illegal aliens, have posted notices in Spanish outside their facilities about helping people register to vote.

“While gathering signatures last year against the so-called Maryland DREAM Act, I repeatedly encountered recent immigrants who believed their Maryland drivers license was proof they were registered voters,” says Paul Mendez, a MDPetition.com volunteer.  “In all the excitement of a presidential election, it’s easy to imagine that non-citizens might mistakenly attempt to vote and commit a crime without knowing it.”

“Voting Without Citizenship is a Crime” flyers are available for no charge on Help Save Maryland’s website (www.HelpSaveMaryland.org).

We encourage county Boards of Elections, religious groups, community service providers, libraries, schools, and organizations that serve Maryland’s immigrant population to distribute these flyers, which will also be handed out at polling locations on Election Day by Help Save Maryland volunteers.

Help Save Maryland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.  Its mission is to provide facts regarding the cost of illegal aliens who live and/or work in Maryland.  Help Save Maryland fosters public awareness and education, and supports analysis and research.

Minneapolis: Somalis making their mark in local politics

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is a Minneapolis Star Tribune story from earlier this month that might be a companion piece to my previous post about the American Muslim vote in 2012.

Star Tribune:

Sadik Warfa was a wide-eyed teenager from a crowded refugee camp when he came to the United States in 1993, part of a first wave of Somalis fleeing a homeland ravaged by warring clans.

As a group, the refugees lacked money and education. Many barely spoke English. But they had strong clan loyalties, a knack for entrepreneurship and drive.

Now those same Somalis are becoming a political force in Minnesota. They are registering to vote, volunteering for campaigns, running for office and even forming a basic building block in U.S. politics — their own political action committee. Warfa, after graduating from college and opening an accounting business, ran for office in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010.

The growing political activism of Minnesota’s roughly 70,000 Somalis — the largest single population of Somalis in the United States — is causing Minnesota DFLers and Republicans to take notice.

Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim Congressman, now the go-to guy for the refugee resettlement contractors reportedly said:

Like other immigrant groups in America, Somalis started at the bottom. But their refugee status may have accelerated their political involvement, said U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress.

“If they came here as an educated class, as doctors and engineers, then you probably would see deferred political engagement because they’d be more about making sure their businesses grew,” Ellison said. “But because they come here with few tools, they use the tools they have, which is a vote.”

And, lest we forget, former Republican Senator Norm Coleman stroked his Somali constituency:

…. Coleman followed suit, enlisting well-known activist Mahamoud Wardere to head his efforts. Wardere had made his own run for Minneapolis mayor* a year earlier.

That Senate election, Samatar said, “was the first key moment or trigger, if you will, for the community to feel that they could actually vote for someone that they cared about.”

Wellstone died 13 days before that election and Coleman won. But even after becoming senator, Coleman nurtured his connections with Somalis, hiring Wardere for his staff.

The insights Wardere gained on that job reinforced how important it was for Somali immigrants to engage in politics. “If you are not at the table, you are missing everything,” he said. “Just being at the table is power.”

Longtime readers may remember that in 2008 the Somali community was furious that the US State Department had suspended family reunification from Somalia after discovering the program was riddled with fraud.  Coleman went to bat for the Somalis with the State Department, here.

There is more in the Star Tribune story, read it all.  And, while you are at it read this 2008 post here at RRW about the Muslim Brotherhood’s stealth jihad in Minnesota.

Top Posts!  See our top posts in the right hand side bar.  Why so many Somalis in Minneapolis? (January 2011) is among the top posts almost every day.

*  I wonder if in 2007 Wardere was listening to a Maryland Imam who said (bragging to a Saudi audience) that by the year 2015 there would be 30 Muslim mayors elected to office in the US.   Obviously they aren’t going to come close, but I doubt they have given up their wish.  As I said at the time, imagine if a Jew, a Catholic, or a Mormon said they were working on getting “their people” in control of US cities, the media would go berserk, but no one said boo! about Yahya Hendi’s comment.