Category: Changing the way we live

Former Refugee ‘bigwigs’ Beg Pompeo to Not Suspend Refugee Admissions

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

As I have been reporting, September is the month when the President normally sends a “determination” to the Hill (for consultation only) in which he reports what the refugee admissions ceiling will be in the upcoming fiscal year which begins October 1. However, he is not required by law to agree to admit any refugees.

All of my recent posts on the topic are tagged FY2021.

There are rumors that President Trump will simply not send anything to Congress effectively signaling a suspension of the program.

Editor:  BTW, regular readers of RRW might be interested in seeing two posts at Frauds and Crooks that could easily have been posted here because they are refugee related. See here and here.

Below we have news from ABC about a letter to Pompeo from mostly a bunch of people you (or I) have never even heard of who participated in changing America by changing the people for decades.

Trump admin urged to accept refugees amid concerns it will indefinitely delay admissions

A group of prominent former U.S. officials is joining state and local governments, U.S. lawmakers, religious leaders and resettlement agencies in urging the Trump administration to increase refugee admissions in fiscal year 2021 amid historic need around the world.

We followed Obama’s last Asst. Sec. of State Anne Richard extensively on these pages. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/?s=Anne+Richard

The administration is supposed to consult with Congress and make a decision by the end of the fiscal year, in one week. But there is growing concern that President Donald Trump will decide to zero out refugee admissions, delay them indefinitely, or reduce the admissions cap even further.

[….]

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on Trump’s cap and “the internal discussions or the timeline related to its development,” but told ABC News it was ultimately the president’s decision.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the administration is considering postponing or further cutting admissions.

Schwartz preceded Richard. See RRW posts on Schwartz. Both Richard and Schwartz had early career help from organizations connected to George Soros. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/?s=Eric+Schwartz

Seven former U.S. officials who ran the refugee admissions program under both Republican and Democrat administrations urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express alarm at such a suspension and call for a “substantial increase” in admissions.

More here.

Do we believe for a second that this letter will hold any sway with the President?

Here is the nothingburger letter and the signatories (Purcell and Dewey are reportedly Republicans):

The Honorable Frank Loy
Former Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs (1980–1981) Former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs

James N. Purcell, Jr.
Former Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs (1982–1986) Former Director General of the International Organization for Migration

The Honorable Phyllis Oakley
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (1994–1997) Former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research

The Honorable Arthur Dewey
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2002–2005) Former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees

Samuel Witten
Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2007–2009) Former Deputy Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Eric Schwartz
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2009–2011) Former NSC Senior Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs

The Honorable Anne C. Richard
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2012–2017) Former Director of the Secretary’s Office of Resources, Plans, and Policy, Department of State

Catholic Bishops Lead the Call for More Refugees for America

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is basically the same story I reported on two days ago, but I see that Catholic News Service is succeeding in getting it published widely as it keeps popping up around the country.

I thought this version of it, published in Kentucky, sure didn’t highlight the right photo to go along with the story.  First, we don’t take refugees from Greek camps, but really, at this point in time does this photo warm your heart?

People displaced from the destroyed Moria refugee camp rest while waiting to enter a temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos Sept. 15, 2020. Refugees were charged with arson in the massive fire.  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8740029/Four-young-Afghan-men-charged-arson-enormous-blaze-Lesbos-migrant-camp.html

 

From The Record:

As federal fiscal year nears, refugee resettlement agencies fear the worst

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has continually called on the administration to allow more refugees into the country.

Why can’t the U.S. Catholic bishops “protect the life and dignity of the human person” in the streets of every major city in America?

In the summer, Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, joined in a statement put out by World Relief and Open Doors about the impact of changes to the nation’s immigration and asylum policy.

“I pray our nation will reverse course and once again stand with refugees and asylum-seekers, including those escaping religious persecution,” Bishop Dorsonville said. “Catholic and evangelical leaders have formally asked the administration to consider refugees fleeing persecution at this time.”

The USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services says its called to defend those seeking shelter, keeping with Catholic Church teaching, and the organization fulfills the commitment of the U.S. Catholic bishops to protect the life and dignity of the human person, including those seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants.

I bet a million bucks that God would be happy with a commitment by the Bishops to help homeless and struggling Americans.

Read more here.

540 Local Elected Officials Tell Trump to Open Refugee Pipeline

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I told you here that the refugee industry was working on a letter to the President urging him to get the refugee flow into America moving again.

Yesterday they sent the letter with 540 signatories.

Says Amnesty International:

By signing this letter, these elected officials have joined together to voice their commitment to welcoming refugees in their communities and reviving the United States’ legacy as a leader in refugee resettlement.

I notice something missing from the letter. It avoids giving the President a number, but the industry has made it very clear!

They want 95,000 refugees to begin arriving on October first.

The President could make a decision this month on how many refugees might be invited to live in the US in FY2021. He could also legally set the ceiling at zero.

All of my posts on the topic are tagged FY2021.

Here are the signatories from yesterday.  The list is handy for identifying those local elected officials who are changing America by changing the people.

I don’t know why the organizers think that these open borders advocates will hold any sway with the President, but they sure make it handy for you to identify the other side where you live. Target them for retirement when they come up for re-election!

(For a little additional fun, see last year’s list here.)

They say the list is bipartisan, but there is no indication of party affiliation.  You will need to look through those listed in your state to see if Republicans are among those looking to import more poverty to your city.

Alabama
Gary Palmer, State Representative, Birmingham
Neil Rafferty, State Representative, Birmingham

Alaska
Elvi Gray-Jackson, State Senator, Anchorage
Andrew Josephson, State Representative, Juneau

Arizona
Ylenia Aguilar, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lela Alston, State Senator, Phoenix
Richard Andrade, State Representative, Phoenix
Andres Cano, State Representative, Tucson
Steven Chapman, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Cesar Chavez, State Representative, Phoenix
Paul Cunningham, Vice Mayor, Tucson
Andrea Dalessandro, State Senator, Green Valley
Devin Del Palacio, School Board Member, Tolleson
Elora Diaz, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Paul Durham, Councilmember, Tucson
Diego Espinoza, State Representative, Avondale
Charlene Fernandez, State Representative, Phoenix
Kristel Ann Foster, School Board President, Tucson
Randall Friese, State Representative, Tucson
Rosanna Gabaldon, State Representative, Sahuarita
Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix
Carlos Garcia, Councilmember, Phoenix
Betty Guardado, Vice Mayor, Phoenix
Daniel Hernandez, State Representative, Tucson
Berdetta Hodge, Tempe Union Governing Board President, Tempe
Steve Kozachik, Councilmember, Tucson
Lauren Kuby, Councilmember, Tempe
Pedro Lopez, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Adam Lopez-Falk, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lindsay Love, Chandler Unified School District Governing Board Member, Chandler
Juan Mendez, State Senator, Tempe
Patrick Morales, Vice President of the Tempe School Elementary Board and Governing Board Member, Tempe
The Honorable Channel Powe, Governing Board President, Phoenix
Stanford Prescott, Governing Board Member, Phoenix Union High School District, Phoenix
Martín Quezada, State Senator, Phoenix
Rebecca Rios, State Senator, Phoenix
Diego Rodriguez, State Representative, Laveen
Regina Romero, Mayor, Tucson
Athena Salman, State Representative, Tempe
Lane Santa Cruz, Councilmember, Tucson
Raquel Teran, State Representative, Phoenix
Monica Trejo, School Board Member, Tempe
Corey D. Woods, Mayor, Tempe

Arkansas
Andrew Collins, State Representative, Little Rock
Megan Godfrey, State Representative, Springdale
Sonia Gutierrez, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor, Fayetteville
Matthew Petty, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Joy Springer, State Representative, Little Rock

California
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assemblymember, Sacramento
John J. Bauters, Councilmember, Emeryville
Bob Blumenfield, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Maya Esparza, Councilmember, San Jose
Kevin Faulconer, Mayor, San Diego
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles
Sam Hindi, Councilmember, Foster City
Johnny Khamis, Councilmember, San Jose
Paul Koretz, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Sheila Kuehl, County Supervisor, Los Angeles
Gordon Mar, City and County Supervisor, San Francisco
Peggy McQuaid, Vice Mayor, Albany
Lisa Middleton, Councilmember, Palm Springs
Hillary Ronen, Supervisor, San Francisco
Philip Y. Ting, Assemblymember, San Francisco
Norman Yee, President, Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco

Colorado
KC Becker, State Representative, Boulder
Yadira Caraveo, State Representative, Thornton
Lisa Cutter, State Representative, Littleton
Stephen Fenberg, State Senate Majority Leader, Boulder
Stacie Gilmore, Councilmember, Denver
Julie Gonzales, State Senator, Denver
Michael Hancock, Mayor, Denver
Eva Henry, County Commissioner, Thornton
John Kefalas, County Commissioner, Fort Collins
Chris Kennedy, State Representative, Lakewood
Cathy Kipp, State Representative, Fort Collins
Robin Kniech, Councilwoman At-Large, Denver
Jacob LaBure, Councilman, Lakewood
Pete Lee, State Senator, Colorado Springs
Susan Lontine, State Representative, Denver
Dominick Moreno, State Senator, Commerce City
Crystal Murillo, Councilmember, Aurora
Deborah Ortega, Councilmember At-Large, Denver
Dylan Roberts, State Representative, Avon
Amanda P. Sandoval, Councilwoman, Denver
Lauren Simpson, Councilmember, Arvada
Sam Weaver, Mayor, Boulder
Steven Woodrow, State Representative, Denver

Connecticut
Roland Lemar, State Representative, New Haven
Matthew Lesser, State Senator, Middletown
Edwin Vargas, State Representative, Hartford

Delaware
Bruce C. Ennis, State Senator, Dover

District of Columbia
Brianne K. Nadeau, Councilmember
Brooke Pinto, Councilmember
Elissa Silverman, Councilmember

Florida
Trish Becker, Special District County Commissioner, St. Augustine
Christopher Benjamin, State Representative, Miami Gardens
Lori Berman, State Senator, Delray Beach
Mack Bernard, County Commissioner, West Palm Beach
Marlon Bolton, Mayor, Tamarac
Emma Collum, Supervisor, Fort Lauderdale
Fentrice Driskell, State Representative, Tampa
Bobby DuBose, State Representative, Fort Lauderdale
Nicholas Duran, State Representative, Miami
Buddy Dyer, Mayor, Orlando
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Orlando
Jelani Harvey, Supervisor, Plantation
Sabrina Javellana, Vice Mayor, Hallandale Beach
Evan Jenne, State Representative, Hollywood
Shevrin Jones, State Representative, West Park
Dotie Joseph, State Representative, Miami
Vanessa Joseph, City Clerk, North Miami
Sarah Leonardi, Broward School Board Member-Elect, Pompano Beach
Amy Mercado, State Representative, Orlando
Cindy Polo, State Representative, Hialeah
Tina Polsky, State Representative, Boca Raton
Harold Pryor, Broward County State Attorney-Elect, Broward County
Chelsea Reed, Councilmember, Palm Beach Gardens
Alissa Schafer, Supervisor, Soil & Water Conservation District, Pembroke Pines
Joshua Simmons, Commissioner, Coral Springs
Nick Sortal, Councilmember, Plantation
Carlos Guillermo Smith, State Representative, Orlando
Linda Stewart, State Senator, Orlando
Annette Taddeo, State Senator, Miami
Victor Torres, State Senator, Orlando/Kissimmee

Georgia
Becky Evans, State Representative, Atlanta
Anthony Ford, Mayor, Stockbridge
Steve Henson, State Senator, Stone Mountain
Zulms Lopez, State Representative-Elect, Atlanta
Pedro Marin, State Representative, Duluth

Hawaii
Stanley Chang, State Representative, Honolulu
Roy Takumi, State Representative, Honolulu
Tina Wildberger, State Representative, Kihei

Idaho
Shawn Barigar, Councilmember ember, Twin Falls
Jimmy Hallyburton, Councilmember, Boise
Kendra Kenyon, County Commissioner, Boise
Diana Lachiondo, County Commissioner, Boise
Lauren McLean, Mayor, Boise
Lauren Necochea, State Representative, Boise
Melissa Wintrow, State Representative, Boise

Illinois
Alma Anaya, County Commissioner, Chicago
Scott Britton, County Commissioner, Glenview
James Cappleman, Alderman, Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, City Treasurer, Chicago
Daniel Didech, State Representative, Buffalo Grove
Laura Fine, State Senator, Glenview
Robyn Gabel, State Representative, Evanston
Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., State Representative, Chicago
Will Guzzardi, State Representative, Chicago
Lindsey LaPointe, State Representative, Chicago
Daniel La Spata, Alderman, Chicago
Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor, Chicago
Raymond Lopez, Alderman, Chicago
Matthew Martin, Alderman, Chicago
Kevin Morrison, County Commissioner, Schaumburg
Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, State Representative, Chicago
Ann Rainey, Alderman, Evanston
George Van Dusen, Mayor, Skokie
Andre Vasquez, Alderman, Chicago

Indiana
Zach Adamson, City Councilor, Indianapolis
John Hamilton, Mayor, Bloomington
Blake Johnson, State Representative, Indianapolis

Iowa
Marti Anderson, State Representative, Des Moines
Tracy Ehlert, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Lindsay James, State Representative, Dubuque
Mary Mascher, State Representative, Iowa City
Andy McKean, State Representative, Anamosa
Brent Oleson, County Commissioner, Marion
Art Staed, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Zacharia Wahls, State Senator, Coralville
Stacey Walker, County Supervisor, Cedar Rapids

Kansas
Lacey Cruse, County Commissioner, Wichita
Joyce Warshaw, Mayor, Dodge City
Rui Xu, State Representative, Westwood

Kentucky
Nima Kulkarni, State Representative, Louisville
Susan Westrom, State Representative, Lexington

Louisiana
Cyndi Nguyen, Councilmember, New Orleans

Maine
Pious Ali, City Councilor At-Large, Portland
Brownie Carson, State Senator, Harpswell
Kristen S. Cloutier, State Representative, Lewiston
Jim Handy, State Representative, Lewiston
Thom Harnett, State Representative, Gardiner
Deane Rykerson State Representative, Kittery Point
Denise Tepler, State Representative, Topsham

Maryland
Malcolm Augustine, State Senator, Annapolis
Colin Byrd, Mayor, Greenbelt
Julie Palakovich Carr, Delegate, District 17
Kathleen Dumais, State Representative, Annapolis
Cindy Dyballa, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Brian Feldman, State Senator, Annapolis
Jessica Feldmark, Delegate, Columbia
David Fraser-Hidalgo, Delegate, Annapolis
Dannielle Glaros, County Councilmember, Upper Marlboro
Evan Glass, County Councilmember, Montgomery County
Edouard Haba, Councilmember, Hyattsville
Tom Hucker, Montgomery County Councilmember, Silver Spring
Julian Ivey, Delegate, Cheverly
Anne Kaiser, Delegate, Silver Spring
Kacy Kostiuk, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Clarence Lam, State Senator, Columbia
Susan Lee, State Senator, Annapolis
Mary Lehman, State Representative, Laurel
Sara Love, Delegate, Annapolis
David Moon, Delegate, Takoma Park
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Delegate, Annapolis
Paul Pinsky, State Senator, Hyattsville
Sheila Ruth, Delegate, Baltimore
Emily Shetty, Delegate, Kensington
Jeffrey Zane Slavin, Mayor, Somerset
Kate Stewart, Mayor, Takoma Park
Deni Taveras, County Councilmember, Adelphi
Jeff Waldstreicher, State Senator, Kensington
Jheanelle Wilkins, Delegate, Silver Spring
Patrick Wojahn, Mayor, College Park

Massachusetts
Kenzie Bok, Councilor, Boston
Candy Mero Carlson, City Councilor, Worcester
Harriette Chandler, State Senator, Worcester
Jo Comerford, State Senator, Florence
Natalie Higgins, State Representative, Leominster
Adam Hinds, State Senator, Pittsfield
Kay Khan, State Representative, Newton
Daniel Koh, Selectboard Member, Andover
Jack Patrick Lewis, State Representative, Framingham
Michael Moore, State Senator, Worcester
David J. Narkewicz, Mayor, Northampton
Tram Nguyen, State Representative, Andover
William Reichelt, Mayor , West Springfield
Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, Northampton
Jeffrey Thielman, Arlington School Committee Member, Arlington
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor, Boston

Michigan
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, Grand Rapids
Brandon Haskell, County Commissioner, Lansing
Steve Maas, Mayor, City of Grandville
Gwen Markham, County Commissioner, Novi
William Miller, County Commissioner, Pontiac
Kurt Reppart, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Monica Sparks, County Commissioner, Kentwood
Robert Wittenberg, State Representative, Huntington Woods
Milinda Ysasi, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Doug Zylstra, County Commissioner, Holland

Minnesota
Peter Fischer, State Representative, Maplewood
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis
Cam Gordon, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Alice Hausman, State Representative, Saint Paul
Kaohly Her, State Representative, Saint Paul
Melissa Hortman, State Representative, Brooklyn Park
Mitra Jalali, Councilmember, Saint Paul
Frank Jewell, County Commissioner, Duluth
Andrew Johnson, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Sydney Jordan, State Representative, Minneapolis
Fue Lee, State Representative, Saint Paul
Jamie Long, State Representative, Minneapolis
John Marty, State Senator, Roseville
Rena Moran, State Representative, Saint Paul
Beth Olson, County Commissioner, Duluth
Rafael E. Ortega, County Commissioner, Saint Paul
Sandy Pappas, State Senator, Saint Paul
Dave Pinto, State Representative, Saint Paul
Victoria Reinhardt, County Commissioner, White Bear Lake
Cory Springhorn, Councilmember, Shoreview
Jay Xiong, State Representative, Saint Paul

Mississippi
Christopher Bell, State Representative, Jackson
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor, Jackson

Missouri
LaDonna Appelbaum, State Representative, St. Louis
Shane Cohn, Alderman, St. Louis
Marlene Davis, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Christine Ingrassia, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Kip Kendrick, State Representative, Columbia
Lyda Krewson, Mayor, St. Louis
Heather Navarro, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Lewis Reed, President, Board of Aldermen, St. Louis
Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis

Montana
Dick Barrett, State Senator, Missoula
Mary Ann Dunwell, State Representative, Helena
John Engen, Mayor, Missoula
Moffie Funk, State Representative, Helena
Katharin Kelker, State Representative, Billings
Marilyn Marler, State Representative, Missoula
Penny Ronning, Councilwoman, Billings
David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula
Juanita Vero, County Commissioner, Missoula
Tom Winter, State Representative, Missoula

Nebraska
Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor, Lincoln
Sue Crawford, State Senator, Bellevue
Machaela Cavanaugh, State Senator, Lincoln

Nevada
Yvanna Cancela, State Senator, Las Vegas
Howard Watts, Assemblymember, Las Vegas

New Hampshire
Amanda Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Andrew Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Lisa Bunker, State Representative, Exeter
Joyce Craig, Mayor, Manchester
David Doherty, State Representative, Pembroke
Nicole Klein Knight, State Representative, Manchester
Patrick Long, State Representative & Alderman, Manchester
Dr. Peter Somssich, State Representative, Portsmouth
George Sykes, State Representative, Lebanon
Suzanne Vail, State Representative, Nashua
Mary Beth Walz, State Representative, Bow
Safiya Wazir, State Representative, Concord
Matthew B. Wilhelm, State Representative, Manchester

New Jersey
Jim Boyes, Councilman, Westfield
David Cohen, Council President, Princeton
Leticia Fraga, Councilwoman, Princeton
Roy Freiman, Assemblymember, Hillsborough
Sadaf Jaffer, Mayor, Montgomery Township
Devra Keenan, Committee Member, Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Michelle Pirone Lambros, Councilwoman, Princeton
Liz Lempert, Mayor, Princeton
Gayle Brill Mittler, Mayor, Highland Park
Eve Niedergang, Councilmember, Princeton
Mia Sacks, Councilmember, Princeton
Dwaine Williamson, Councilman, Princeton

New Mexico
Karen Bash, State Representative, Albuquerque
Timothy Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque
Gerald Ortiz y Pino, State Senator, Albuquerque
Bill Tallman, State Senator, Albuquerque
Renee Villarreal, Councilwoman, Santa Fe

New York
Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator, Bronx
Karla Boyce, County Legislator, Honeoye Falls
Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo
David Buchwald, Assemblymember, Mount Kisco
Bill de Blasio, Mayor, New York City
Margaret Chin, Councilmember, New York City
Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember, Albany
Vincent Felder, Minority Leader of the Monroe County Legislature, Rochester
Andrew Gounardes, State Senator, New York City
Brad Hoylman, State Senator, New York City
Timothy Kennedy, State Senator, Buffalo
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York City
Charles Lavine, Assemblymember, Glen Cove
Donna Lupardo, Assemblymember, Binghamton
Rachel May, State Senator, Syracuse
Félix W. Ortiz, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Amy Paulin, Assemblymember, Scarsdale
Karines Reyes, Assemblymember, Bronx
Carlina Rivera, Councilmember, New York City
Linda B. Rosenthal, Assemblymember, New York City
Nily Rozic, Assemblymember, Queens
Sean Ryan, Assemblymember, Buffalo
Kathy Sheehan, Mayor, Albany
MaryJane Shimsky, County Legislator, White Plains
Jo Anne Simon, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Colin D. Smith, Westchester County Legislator, Peekskill
Fred Thiele, Assemblymember, Sag Harbor
Daniel Torres, Deputy Supervisor, New Paltz
Lovely Warren, Mayor, Rochester
Steven Weinberg, Mayor, Village of Thomaston
David Weprin, Assemblymember, Fresh Meadows
Gregory Young, County Supervisor, Gloversville

North Carolina
Vickie Adamson, County Commissioner, Raleigh
John Autry, State Representative, Raleigh
Mary Belk, State Representative, Charlotte
Natalie Beyer, School Board Member, Durham
Javiera Caballero, Councilmember, Durham
Heidi Carter, County Commissioner, Durham
Susan Fisher, State Representative, Asheville
Pam Hemminger, Mayor, Chapel Hill
Wendy Jacobs, County Commissioner Chair, Durham
Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore, Durham
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor, Carrboro
Esther Manheimer, Mayor, Asheville
Graig Meyer, State Representative, Raleigh
Robert Reives, State Representative, Raleigh
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, County Commissioner, Charlotte
Steve Schewel, Mayor, Durham
Damon Seils, Councilmember, Carrboro
Kandie Smith, State Representative, Greenville
Terry Van Duyn, State Senator, Asheville
Braxton Winston, Councilmember, Charlotte

North Dakota
Tim Mathern, State Senator, Fargo

Ohio
Elizabeth Brown, Council President Pro Tempore, Columbus
Phyllis Cleveland, Councilmember, Cleveland
Valerie Cumming, Vice Mayor, Westerville
David Donofrio, Board of Education Member, Southwestern City School District, Columbus
Rob Dorans, Councilmember, Columbus
Basheer Jones, Councilman, Cleveland
Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor, Toledo
Brian Kazy, Councilman, Cleveland
Leeman Kessler, Mayor, Gambier
David Leland, State Representative, Columbus
Dale Miller, County Councilperson, Cleveland
Bhuwan Pyakurel, Councilmember, Reynoldsburg
Emmanuel Remy, Councilmember, Columbus
Matt Zone, Councilmember, Cleveland

Oklahoma
Carrie Blumert, County Commissioner, Oklahoma City
James Cooper, Councilperson, Oklahoma City
Carri Hicks, State Senator, Oklahoma City

Oregon
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland
Kathryn Harrington, Washington County Commission Chair, Hillsboro
Susheela Jayapal, County Commissioner, Portland
Alissa Keny-Guyer, State Representative, Portland
Teresa Alonso Leon, State Representative, Salem
Eddy Morales, Gresham City Councilor, Gresham
Sharon Meieran, County Commissioner, Portland
Jessica Vega Pederson, County Commissioner, Portland
Carla C. Piluso, State Representative, Gresham
Carmen Rubio, County Commissioner, Portland
Jeff Reardon, State Representative, Portland
Ricki Ruiz, Reynolds School Board Member, Gresham
Deian Salazar, Precinct Committee Person, Portland
Marc San Soucie, City Councilor, Beaverton
Lori Stegmann, County Commissioner, Portland
Stephanie Stephens, School Board Member, David Douglas School District, Portland
Andrea Valderrama, Chair, David Douglas School Board, Portland
Marty Wilde, State Representative, Eugene

Pennsylvania
Janet Diaz, Councilmember, Lancaster
Ronald Filippelli, Mayor, State College
Jordan Harris, State Representative (Democratic Whip), Philadelphia
Timothy Kearney, State Senator, Springfield
James F. Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia
Kevin Madden, County Commissioner, Media
Joanna McClinton, State Representative, Philadelphia
William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh
Joseph Schember, Mayor, Erie
Michael Schlossberg, State Representative, Allentown
Judith Schwank, State Senator, Reading
Brian Sims, State Representative, Philadelphia
Jared Solomon, State Representative, Philadelphia
Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster
Erika Strassburger, Councilmember, Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
Jorge Elorza, Mayor, Providence
Raymond Hull, State Representative, Providence

South Carolina
Carol Jackson, Councilmember, Charleston

South Dakota
Shawn Bordeaux, State Representative, Mission
Linda Duba, State Representative, Sioux Falls
Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, Sioux Falls
Ray Ring, State Representative, Vermillion

Tennessee
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Nashville
Indya Kincannon, Mayor, Knoxville
Seema Singh, Councilwoman, Knoxville
Tangi Smith, County Commissioner, Clarksville

Texas
Nicole Collier, State Representative, Fort Worth
Vikki Goodwin, State Representative, Austin
Donna Howard, State Representative, Austin
Celia Israel, State Representative, Austin
Clay Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas
Ina Minjarez, State Representative, San Antonio
Christin Morales, State Representative, Houston
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio
Letitia Plummer, Councilmember, Houston
Edward Pollard, Councilmember, Houston
Carl Sherman, State Representative, Lancaster
Sylvester Turner, Mayor , Houston

Utah
Patrice Arent, State Representative, Millcreek
Joel Briscoe, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Luz Escamilla, State Senator, Salt Lake City
Ann Granato, Salt Lake County Council, Millcreek
Stephen Handy, State Representative, Layton
Suzanne Harrison, State Representative, Draper
Timothy Hawkes, State Representative, Centerville
Sandra Hollins, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jani Iwamoto, State Senator-Assistant Minority Whip, Salt Lake City
Dan Johnson, State Representative, Logan
Brian S. King, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City
Carol Spackman Moss, State Representative, Holladay
Angela Romero, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, Millcreek
Steve Waldrip, State Representative, Eden
Raymond Ward, State Representative, Bountiful
Elizabeth Weight, State Representative, West Valley City
Mark Wheatley, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jenny Wilson, Mayor, Salt Lake County
Mike Winder, State Representative, West Valley

Vermont
Thomas Chittenden, City Councilor, South Burlington
Brian Cina, State Representative, Burlington
Mari Cordes, State Representative, Lincoln
Ali Dieng, City Councilor, Burlington
Sarah Copeland Hanzas, State Representative, Bradford
Kristine Lott, Mayor, Winooski
Jim McCullough, State Representative, Williston
Ann Pugh, State Representative, South Burlington
Marybeth Redmond, State Representative, Essex
Robin Scheu, State Representative, Middlebury
Joan Shannon, Councilor, Burlington
Maida F. Townsend, State Representative, South Burlington
Theresa Wood, State Representative, Waterbury
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte

Virginia
Richard Baugh, Councilmember, Harrisonburg
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Vice Mayor, Alexandria
Patrick Hope, Delegate, Arlington
Mark Keam, Delegate, Vienna
McKinley Price, Mayor, Newport News
Sam Rasoul, Delegate, Roanoke
Sal Romero, Vice Mayor, Harrisonburg
Ibraheem Samirah, Delegate, Herndon
Shelly Anne Simonds, Delegate, Newport News
Kathy Tran, Delegate, Springfield
James Walkinshaw, Supervisor, Fairfax County
Justin Wilson, Mayor, Alexandria

Washington
Claudia Balducci, County Council Chair, Seattle
Reuven Carlyle, State Senator, Seattle
Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Tacoma
Mona Das, State Senator, Olympia
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor, Seattle
Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, West Seattle
Jessica Forsythe, Councilmember, Redmond
M. Lorena González, City Council President, Seattle
Roger Goodman, State Representative, Kirkland
Mia Gregerson, State Representative, SeaTac
Lisa Herbold, Councilmember, Seattle
Sam Hunt, State Senator, Olympia
Jay Inslee, Governor, Olympia
Karen Keiser, State Senator, Des Moines
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember, Seattle
Connie Ladenburg, County Councilmember, Tacoma
Liz Lovelett, State Senator, Anacortes
Jamie Pedersen, State Senator, Seattle
Gerry Pollet, State Representative, Seattle
Chris Roberts, Councilmember, Shoreline
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Shoreline
Rebecca Saldana, State Senator, Seattle
Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative, Olympia
Tana Senn, State Representative, Mercer Island
Derek Stanford, State Senator, Bothell
My-Linh Thai, State Representative, Newcastle
Dave Upthegrove, Councilmember, Des Moines
Javier Valdez, State Representative, Seattle
Derek Young, County Councilmember, Tacoma

West Virginia
Rosemary Ketchum, Councilwoman, Wheeling

Wisconsin
Samba Baldeh, Alder, Madison
Shiva Bidar, Councilmember, Madison
David Bowen, State Representative, Milwaukee
Jonathan Brostoff, State Representative, Milwaukee
Ryan Clancy, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michele Doolan, Dane County Supervisor, Cross Plains
Julie Gordon, County Board Supervisor, Oshkosh
Michael Norton, County Commissioner, Oshkosh
Shawn Rolland, County Board Supervisor, Wauwatosa
Sequanna Taylor, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michael Tierney, Alder, Madison
Michael Verveer, Alderperson, Madison

Wyoming
Charles Pelkey, State Representative, Laramie
Mike Yin, State Representative, Jackson

Jewish Publication Questions HIAS Policies

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Jewish News Syndicate finds that many Jews are wondering where HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is going with its policies and programs now that very few Jews arrive in America as refugees.

For readers who want to know more about who is changing America by changing the people, have a look at this story entitled:

With HIAS changing longtime focus, supporters question some of its priorities

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, better known as HIAS, was for the better part of a century responsible for helping settle generations of Jewish refugees in their new homes in the United States. From 1881 through the release of Jews from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the organization worked not only to resettle the new arrivals, but was involved in assisting them legally as well. Yet in a way, HIAS was a product of its own success and the success of the American Jewish community, whose activism helped bring most Jews over who wanted or needed to leave other countries.

Mark Hetfield, President and CEO of HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that resettles  refugees as one of nine federal contractors, led an anti-Trump rally in New York in 2017.  The event was the first of many rallies HIAS organized or participated in working against the President. They have also been the lead plaintiffs in lawsuits attempting to stop the Trump Administration’s immigration reform efforts.

Today, nearly all of the refugees HIAS resettles on an average each year are non-Jews—many of them Muslims from Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia and other Middle Eastern countries.

[….]

As an organization with deep Jewish roots, HIAS’s new mission and purpose are being questioned by some observers, especially during a time of global uncertainty and rising anti-Semitism.

In 1975, the U.S. State Department asked HIAS to expand its portfolio and assist in resettling 3,600 Vietnamese refugees after the end of the Vietnam War and nearly two decades of US involvement in Southeast Asia.

In 2014, HIAS dropped the word “Hebrew” from its name and was simply called HIAS. At the same time, HIAS announced relocation of its headquarters from New York City to suburban Maryland.

Most notable among criticisms is that several HIAS partners have been linked to organizations with ties to terrorism, including Islamic Relief USA and the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), whose leadership recently called Jews “the grandchildren of monkeys and pigs” and referred to the terrorist group Hamas “the purest resistance movement in modern history.”

[….]

There’s a crucial difference between past Jewish refugees and current Muslims, argues Richard Landes, a retired Boston University history professor now living in Jerusalem. “Jews came into the country determined to contribute to America—to be American—but the Muslims arriving now don’t always feel that way. We like to think if we are nice enough to our enemies they will stop hating us, but our history has shown that the incapacity to see malevolent intent in others is itself very dangerous to Jews.”

There is much, much more, continue reading here.

See my extensive archive on HIAS by clicking here.

I mentioned them here most recently.

Christians, Jews, Muslims Join Forces on Capitol Hill; Work “Strategically”

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

And, you can be sure that right now the “interfaith community” is getting in gear for what they anticipate will be a great blue wave in November and they will all be back in business when Biden/Harris fling open our borders to the third world beginning in January.

Of course you are probably reading this and thinking: don’t we need to get our people back to work and get through the Chinese virus panic before you hit the Hill with your strategic lobbying for more refugees and for more payola!

No!  While you are distracted they are busy as they always are working all the angles to get more funding and influence more members of Congress to see things their way.

If a member is Catholic—send in the Catholics!  Jewish? Send in HIAS.  If the Muslims want an entree? The Catholics and the Jews will help make that possible.

This article at Devex describes the basics of well-organized lobbying efforts in Washington that you, average citizens, can NEVER match. 

These are all well-funded organizations with high paid staff working 40-hour work weeks, 52 weeks a year to influence Congress, and they hope very soon to get back into the White House.

(emphasis is mine)

‘We can be very strategic’: How faith-based NGOs advocate on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — Many NGOs dedicate time to advocacy (aka lobbying) on Capitol Hill to garner support for development and humanitarian policies and funding, but faith-based organizations work together to bring a different perspective to these lobbying efforts.

Bill O’Keefe https://www.crs.org/expert/bill.okeefe#bio

“We, at one level, are doing what everybody’s doing, which is trying to understand to the greatest extent we can what drives a particular member.And that is as varied as the membership in the House and Senate,” said Bill O’Keefe, executive vice president for mission, mobilization, and advocacy (aka lobbying) at Catholic Relief Services.***

“We do look at what is the religious background of this member, and is there a particular appeal that we can authentically make that would make a difference in this case?”

[….]

CRS aims to meet with every member of Congress regardless of the member’s religious affiliation, O’Keefe said. The organization’s work to eliminate causes of poverty and injustice is rooted in principles of Catholic social teaching, a tradition that bolsters the NGO’s reputation and allows it to work well with members on both sides of the aisle, he said.

[….]

CRS works closely with other faith-based organizations — both those that are part of what O’Keefe calls “Team Catholic,” as well as those of other faiths — on the Hill to coordinate advocacy (aka lobbying) efforts for certain bills or funding requests.

The NGOs determine what type of appeal may be most effective with particular members who may have seats on relevant committees or from whom they want support.

Naomi Steinberg https://www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/naomi-steinberg-hias/

“If there is an office where the elected official is a strong Catholic, it wouldn’t necessarily make sense for HIAS to take the lead on that meeting,” said Naomi Steinberg, vice president of policy and advocacy (aka lobbying) at refugee resettlement organization HIAS.

“Every single day we are in partnership with other faith organizations and we work in coalition on a lot of different issues. What we find is that we are all heading in the same direction and certainly we sometimes might have different strategies, but through the coalition, we really do speak with one voice.

The value of us coming from different faith traditions is that we can be very strategic.”

HIAS began as an agency that resettled Jewish refugees in the U.S. Now, it is one of nine refugee resettlement agencies in the country that works with people of all faiths as well as with refugees abroad — issues Steinberg said have become unfortunately partisan during the Trump administration.

Her team works to develop relationships with congressional offices even when they are not pushing for a particular policy or funding so that when there is a tougher issue on which they seek support, they have existing contacts to tap.

I was a lobbyist decades ago and I can assure you that this is where they spend a lot of their time building their influence. They make friends with staff members and spend time with them, often outside of regular work hours, so that naturally when the lobbyist needs something, they can get a phone call returned or even get an entree to the member on short notice.

Devex continues….

HIAS also ties this advocacy (aka lobbying) closely with its grassroots efforts on refugee issues, which includes urging Jewish communities across the country to contact their members of Congress to express their support for more funding and higher refugee resettlement caps.

[….]

“One of the messages we share with our grassroots advocacy network … is you should never assume that even if your elected official has been on the right side of these refugee issues, that they know how important this is to you, to their constituency,” Steinberg said.

“Keep those calls coming, keep those emails coming. Because we want them to know that people in their district vote partially based on these issues.” [Other than NumbersUSA and FAIR, with limited staff and financing, I don’t know any other organizations doing this on the immigration restriction side of the debate.—ed]

[….]

See Jihad Williams bio at The Investigative Project on Terrorism. Yikes! http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/728.pdf

Politics can also impact inroads faith-based organizations are able to make on Capitol Hill. Jihad Saleh Williams, senior advocacy  (aka lobbying) and government affairs advisor at Islamic Relief USA, said his organization can have difficulty getting a response from Republican offices who are nervous to meet with a Muslim organization with which they may not be familiar.

As a former congressional aide, Williams said he understands the instinct of Hill staffers to protect their boss at all costs, and that IR USA must understand “discreetness” required for some of its meetings.

[….]

Williams said he often begins outreach with congressional offices by discussing IR USA’s domestic work in order to build relationships.

Many offices incorrectly believe that the organization only works in the Middle East, he said, or only deals with civil liberties and counterterrorism issues. By educating members about work to promote food security and health access — particularly during COVID-19 — in the U.S., Williams said he can gain an entry point to promote the value of international development and humanitarian work as well.

NGOs use interfaith coalitions to work together to counter such misconceptions about particular groups, positioning faith-based organizations as a united block that support the same issues, regardless of religious affiliation, to strengthen their power on the Hill.

[….]

“I really have tried to work hard over time, particularly with Islamic Relief and with other minority religious groups in the United States, to make sure … when people think of the faith community, they don’t just think of the Christian community,” O’Keefe said.

“We partner a lot with Islamic Relief and consider them brothers and sisters in this development and humanitarian world.”

There is more, click here.

***I just had a look at the most recent Form 990 for Catholic Relief and learned that in 2018 they had an income stream of over $936 Million and of that $453,988,287 (nearly a half a billion!) came from you, the US taxpayer!

No wonder they are busy lobbying on the Hill.

Here is the salaries page from that Form 990. Sean Callahan sure is doing well by doing good!

Personal anecdote:  About 20 years ago I had a reason for wanting to help a Catholic convent in Danang, VN. The sisters there are devout Catholics who had spent a couple of decades in the rice fields when the Communists took over the country.  By the year 2000, the government had lightened up on them and they were back running an orphanage and a school for young children, but they needed financial help.

In my naivete I called Catholic Relief to see if they could help that convent and was told “That isn’t what we do!”

Now I have a better understanding of what they do—big fat salaries, lobbying efforts to garner more funding, and efforts to bring more Muslims into the US is what they do! Nuns in Vietnam who love America can go pound sand.