Fargo, ND poll: Most citizens do not want more refugee resettlement

11/04/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

But, almost more interesting to me (in this news account) was the fact that the local CHAMBER OF COMMERCE hosted the event to try to convince the citizens there that they are wrong.

Readers, if you don’t know it already—The Chamber of Commerce throughout America is FOR more migration to America and lobbies FOR amnesty and obviously is now openly out in front promoting more refugee resettlement. Can you say cheap immigrant labor! And, look at the Republican members of Congress and Senators who are wimps on immigration and you will likely find the Chamber behind them (and funding them!).
From the Grand Forks Herald (emphasis is mine):

FARGO — The head of the nonprofit agency tasked with resettling refugee groups in North Dakota gave a presentation Tuesday hoping to dispel misconceptions about refugees.

Jessica Thomason, CEO of Lutheran Social Services in ND. Photo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicathomasson

“Today, we are going to be clearing the air,” Jessica Thomasson, CEO of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, told a crowd of about 200 people at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fargo.

Among the notions that Thomasson sought to debunk was the idea that refugees are responsible for increases in crime. “We know there is no correlation,” she said, citing a study that showed: “Immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born population.”***

Thomasson, whose talk was hosted by the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security screens refugees before they enter the country. “The United States has as one of its policies that we don’t resettle people who have been aggressors in the conflicts,” she said.

Thomasson’s talk came at a time when refugee resettlement is a hotly contested issue in North Dakota, which leads the nation in refugee resettlement per capita.

The day before Thomasson spoke, Valley News Live aired the results of a poll the TV station commissioned. Of the 625 adults surveyed in Cass and Clay Counties, 57 percent opposed the continued resettlement of refugees in the area, 28 percent supported it and 15 percent were undecided. The poll had a margin of error of no more than 4 percentage points.

Continue reading here.
***Update*** Here are the survey results. And here is my post on the poll. And, one more update here—“myth” about free cars explained.
Go here for all of our previous posts on North Dakota. This post is filed in our ‘Pockets of Resistance’ category, here.
By the way when you check our archives on North Dakota you will see several horrible crimes committed by refugees there—the one that jumped out at me was the Somali mass murder of native Americans, here. Then there was the “hatchet man”….

WND: 100 cities vying for immigrants (legal and illegal) expecting them to boost local economy

11/03/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

No, they won’t boost the economy. The whole idea is a myth! The only boost I can see is that the local economy might benefit from the welfare dollars and other federal government supported programs to build low income housing (boodle for local developers!) and to give immigrants special loans to start businesses (that aren’t offered to low-income Americans)—dollars that arrive in the struggling cities from Washington. Oh, and of course (almost forgot) bring in cheap labor to satisfy big business and the Chambers of Commerce.
Wealth redistribution?
Washington doesn’t grow money on trees—it is just your money being recycled for the benefit of the expanding immigrant population and the Left-leaning local governments.

This article reminded me of Nancy Pelosi. Do you remember when she famously said an expanding food stamp program helped the economy? She is essentially saying that the government needs to take your tax dollars and redistribute them to immigrants and then your money enters the economy of these struggling cities.

Leo Hohmann at World Net Daily features Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as his opening ‘star’ of the story. We told you about Rawlings-Blake here on Sunday.
Hohmann found this list of 100 cities vying for your money (collected by the IRS in Washington and doled out to myriad local welfare programs and through grants to state and local governments and to non-profits).
Please look at this list! Is your city on it?
Hohmann goes on to report on the 18 mayors looking for a large allotment of Syrian refugees.

….a coalition of 100 immigrant-supporting cities seem to be in competition with each other to see which city can offer the most services and benefits to attract foreign-born residents.

They help them find jobs, overcome language barriers and work around employers’ demands for birth certificates or drivers’ licenses. There are also grants to help them get set up in a business venture.

So it’s no surprise that Rawlings-Blake is one of the 100 U.S. mayors asking the Obama administration to send her city a fresh wave of Syrian refugees. She is one of 18 mayors who have written a letter to the administration expressing their desire for more refugees. The 18 mayors who signed the letter represent a total of 100 mayors with Cities United for Immigration Action.

Continue reading (almost 1,000 comments in less than 24 hours). Hohmann reports some very good research by the Center for Immigration Studies on welfare use by immigrants, and he quotes me saying that this whole notion of boosting a local economy makes no logical sense if you include all the COSTS associated with the resettlement of third worlders and if you take out the federal taxpayers’ contribution.

George Soros: EU must take in one million migrants a year…..

11/03/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

……for the foreseeable future!

Invasion of Europe News…..

We told you about the role of Hillary pal George Soros here the other day. But, since everyone is talking about it, be sure to see Soros’ manifesto on how to bring down European borders forever.

merkel and Soros — Patrick Cleburne writing at VDARE tens days ago makes the connection and asks: has German Chancellor Angela Merkel been bribed? http://www.vdare.com/articles/merkel-gone-mad-or-bribed-gop-example-suggests-the-latter

Out of his own mouth (hat tip: Skip). The asylum seekers are the victims!

The European Union needs to accept responsibility for the lack of a common asylum policy, which has transformed this year’s growing influx of refugees from a manageable problem into yet another political crisis. Each member state has selfishly focused on its own interests, often acting against the interests of others. This precipitated panic among asylum seekers, the general public, and the authorities responsible for law and order. Asylum seekers have been the main victims.

[….]

First, the EU has to accept at least a million asylum-seekers annually for the foreseeable future. And, to do that, it must share the burden fairly – a principle that a qualified majority finally established at last Wednesday’s summit.

Adequate financing is critical. The EU should provide €15,000 ($16,800) per asylum-seeker for each of the first two years to help cover housing, health care, and education costs – and to make accepting refugees more appealing to member states.

By the way, for those of you thinking that Soros is an old man and we don’t have to deal with him for much longer, remember he has children who I am told are ready to continue his ‘legacy.’
Go here to see a 2013 post we wrote and see Soros, son Jonathan and David Miliband (former British Foreign Secretary who heads one of our nine major resettlement contractors) at awards ceremony for Soros. You (the American taxpayer) give over $300 million to the International Rescue Committee which honors Soros who works day and night to destroy borders around the world!

George Soros is a Hungarian-born American business magnate, investor, author, and philanthropist. He is chairman of Soros Fund Management. Wikipedia

Born: August 12, 1930 (age 85), Budapest, Hungary

Spouse: Tamiko Bolton (m. 2013), Susan Weber Soros (m. 1983–2005), Annaliese Witschak (m. 1960–1983)

Children: Alexander Soros, Andrea Soros, Jonathan Soros, Gregory Soros, Robert Soros

Organizations founded: Open Society Foundations, More

Sacramento to welcome large number of Syrians says resettlement contractor

11/02/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

There is nothing unexpected in this news article about the new CEO of ‘Opening Doors’ another resettlement agency contracted through Church World Service (one of nine major resettlement contractors working for the UN/US State Department), but I bring it to you because it makes some points we have been making lately.

Deborah Ortiz to be the new CEO of Opening Doors. Photo: http://sacramentopress.com/2011/03/22/latino-leaders-honored-in-cesar-chavez-resolution/

Yes! They are contractors!
I had to laugh when I saw this line on their website. South Carolina readers will recall that when Asst. Sec. of State for PRM, Anne Richard, came to Spartanburg she said that they were not “CONTRACTORS,” but had signed “agreements.” Someone needs to tell ‘Opening Doors:’

Refugees come to us through our affiliate, Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program that is under contract to the United States Department of State.

First and foremost I was interested in the fact that Opening Doors (largely funded with taxpayer dollars)*** doesn’t just resettle refugees, but works with and for illegal aliens as well. That is a point I have been making lately. Many who want to see illegal immigration brought under control say “legal immigration is good,” but these groups we fund—like Opening Doors—are perfectly fine with promoting the rights of illegal migrants right along with their resettlement work that is paid for by you!
Here is the story from the Sacramento Bee:

Deborah Ortiz, a veteran public servant who spent years trying to help immigrants and refugees in Sacramento and the state, will soon be aiding hundreds of new Sacramentans fleeing violence or persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and more than half a dozen other nations.

On Jan. 1, the former city council member, assemblywoman and state senator will take over as CEO of Opening Doors, a nonprofit agency that helps refugees, immigrants and human-trafficking survivors achieve self-sufficiency through job training, small-business loans and access to legal and social services. Last year, the agency served more than 650 immigrants and refugees and helped resettle 423. It also assisted 94 human-trafficking survivors.

[….]

Since 2011, when the Syrian conflict started, 1,500 Syrians have been resettled nationwide. Sacramento ranks third in the nation among cities receiving them. Since April, Opening Doors, one of several resettlement agencies here, has resettled 25. [97% of those arriving in FY2015 are Muslims, does Church World Service not advocate for persecuted Christians? Guess not!—ed]

Is Opening Doors keeping a huge chunk of the refugees cash?

Then this (below) gave me pause. Refugees are given cash by the federal government in the amount of $1,975 per person and the contractor usually pockets around $800 of it (per refugee) for their overhead (they are paid by the head for their work, thus they have every incentive to never slow the flow).
Does this mean that Opening Doors is pocketing an even bigger chunk?
Note again, that the contractor’s job is to sign the refugees up for their welfare goodies. You can be sure that no matter how hard they wish it, the refugees are NOT “independent” in three months as they claim.

Refugees receive $925 in federal funding for the first 30 days. It helps pay for setting up their households, food, housing and nominal expenses. Their refugee status many help them qualify for other income-based public assistance programs including cash assistance, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh (food stamps) for up to eight months for adults without dependent children. Families with children are eligible to receive benefits for four years.

Opening Doors supports them for three months from the date of arrival in Sacramento. The agency enrolls refugees in ESL classes, human services and employment services to help them to become independent at the end of the three months.

Maybe it’s the reporter’s fault, but someone needs to see if this contractor is keeping a big chunk of the refugees’ cash.
*** Here is Opening Doors’ most recently available Form 990. They are a $1.3 million a year business with just about $1 million coming from your wallets.
Endnote: An Iraqi refugee wrote this criticism of Opening Doors in 2010.

UNHCR Antonio Guterres leaving post at the end of the year, replacement?

11/02/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We heard that news at the big pow-wow at Georgetown on Thursday, so I decided to look around and see if I could find out more.
This is a Reuters story from a month ago where we learn that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is not extending Guterres’ term even though he could. Hmmm!

south-africa-mandela-memorial — Then Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (a Socialist) yuks it up with Obama at the Mandela Memorial Service in 2013. She is on the short list to replace Antonio Guterres as UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Michele (right) obviously not thrilled with hubby.

By the way, go here and see the list of pledges for Syrian resettlement and see that Portugal (where Antonio Guterres is a past President) is taking a whopping 23 Syrians.
What! He can’t persuade his own home country to take in a larger number of Syrians? Besides being the former President of Portugal, Guterres is the former President of Socialists International. He gave up that post when he became UNHCR:

Guterres retired from Portuguese politics and worked as President of the Socialist International until 2005.

Reuters (U.N.’s Ban rejects calls to keep refugee chief amid crisis):

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has disregarded a request from a large number of member states to keep the U.N. high commissioner for refugees in his job for an extra year to cope with the worsening refugee crisis, diplomats said.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was elected by the U.N. General Assembly in 2005 and re-elected in 2010. Earlier this year, the assembly voted to extend his mandate by 6-1/2 months to Dec. 31, on Ban’s recommendation.

But the sources, who include the chairman of the U.N. refugee agency’s executive committee, said Ban decided to resist pressure for a further extension of one year, and resort to a normal election process to make way for a new high commissioner.
Several diplomats said it was unusual for a secretary-general to ignore such appeals, though they acknowledged it is Ban’s right to do so.

So who is on the short list (at least at the time this story was published):

Comissario told Reuters there was a short list of three candidates for the post: Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and veteran diplomats Achim Steiner of Germany and Filippo Grandi of Italy.

The UNHCR statute makes no mention of term limits for the high commissioner, though it states that the terms of the appointment are set by the secretary-general.

Consider this nightmare: Obama heads UN in 2017 with Helle as UNHCR!