Editor: This is in response to my offer to post testimony that readers have sent, or are sending before May 19th to the US State Department.
From Mike: Simon Henshaw is the Deputy Asst. Sec. for Refugees. Will he answer Mike’s questions?
Dear Mr. Simon Henshaw, and the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration:
How much is this resettlement costing taxpayers? The USA is over $19 trillion in debt and climbing. Can you please tell the taxpayers, publicly, on television, radio, email, your website, etc., why resettling 85,000 people per year is more important than those who are already here, in the USA, legal citizens, paying taxes?
Does your agency have any concerns about overpopulation in the USA? About the environment? Is this FY 2016 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program at odds with other programs? Possibly the taxpayer is funding the EPA to protect the environment, and the taxpayer is also funding the RAP which is stressing the environment?
It’s a terrible feeling to be funding programs and agencies, yet being out of the loop in terms of costs, sound reasoning, or input. I’m saying out of the loop in terms of input, because I have little hope that my email will make any difference. Possibly you and your agency will prove me wrong.
Editor: Below is a repost of a post from April 23rd. A reader suggested I remind you that as of tomorrow you have ten days to get your testimony/comments to the US State Department. You should take a few minutes and do this. You don’t have to say much, but whatever you say, be polite! (and copy anything you say to your elected representatives at all levels of govt!).
Also, if yours is not a resettlement site yet, you need to be watching for any hints that they are working in secrecy to tag your town as a new site. They are running out of places and Obama plans to announce at least 100,000 for FY2017 (he has one more shot at this in September). We recently reported on three new sites that we know of: Missoula, MT, Ithaca, NY and Rutland, VT. (Reposted from April 23)
This is the official launch of the preparations underway for the Obama Administration’s last Refugee Admissions plan to be sent to Congress in September of this year. Obama has already signaled that he wants 100,000 refugees seeded into your towns in FY2017.
Each year at this time, the US State Department takes testimony from the public on how many refugees (and from where) that you, the taxpaying public, thinks we should admit. From past experience, we know, of course, that your testimony goes down a black hole!
Address your testimony to: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard
For probably decades this testimony was taken in public and was dominated by federal contractors. However, we attended in three consecutive years, but starting last year, there was no longer an opportunity to go face-to-face to the State Department to tell them what we think. Why is that? Because in that last year where a PUBLIC hearing was held, the opposition to the program dominated the pro-open borders resettlement contractors and they didn’t like it one bit!
If you would like to see what some of your fellow critics of the program said in the past, go here, here and here (when you click each of these, scroll down for all the posts in the category). These are our archives for any discussion of hearing years 2012 (for FY13), 2013 (for FY14), and 2014 (for FY15). The only reason we obtained any of that testimony is that some of you sent it to us and we attended the hearings in person and were given the testimony.
That testimony is not made public because secrecy has always been the watchword of the program!
I doubt that any Member of Congress or Senator has ever attempted to make that testimony public and I’d bet a million bucks (if I had it!) that no Members/Senators have ever asked for that testimony! Shameful!
Anyway…..
Here (and below) is the Federal Register Notice for FY2017. You have until 5 p.m. on May 19th to submit written testimony!
I’m asking all of you to prepare and send in testimony by the May 19th deadline. You don’t have to do some deep analysis of the program, just tell them what you think, and what is happening where you live. (Please be professional and polite!)
I know I said it goes into a black hole, but you can use your testimony in other ways. Use it to do press releases and letters to the editor. Use it to ask your concerned local elected officials to send in testimony too.
Be sure to send your testimony to all of your elected officials at all levels of government (cc them on the testimony). When sending your testimony to your elected Washington representatives, ask them to do something in your cover letter so that they are at least put on notice that you want a response from them.
The United States actively supports efforts to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a critical component of the United States’ overall refugee protection efforts around the globe. In Fiscal Year 2016, the President established the ceiling for refugee admissions into the United States at 85,000 refugees.
As we begin to prepare the FY 2017 U.S. Refugee Admission Program, we welcome the public’s input. Information about the Program can be found at http://www.state.gov/g/prm/. Persons wishing to submit written comments on the appropriate size and scope of the FY 2016 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program should submit them by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2015 via email to PRM-Comments@state.gov or fax (202) 453-9393.Show citation box
If you have questions about submitting written comments, please contact Delicia Spruell, PRM/Admissions Program Officer atspruellda@state.gov.
Simon Henshaw,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Department of State.
