Will the migrant caravan headed north from Honduras have implications for US midterm elections?

10/16/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I think, yes, if they continue northward.

Yesterday, the migrants numbering between 1,600 and 2,000, chanting “We have rights,” crossed the border from Honduras into Guatemala with the intention of illegally crossing in to Mexico.

Migrant caravan — Yikes! the caravan is made up of mostly young men! It looks just like the European invasion!

Just a reminder to all, these are not refugees.

(See my most recent discussion about the misuse of the word ‘refugee.’)

They are mostly economic migrants, but the Leftwing Open Borders advocates will say they are seeking asylum from persecution for their race, religion, political view, and will call them refugees.

If that is the case, they are required to ask for asylum in the first safe country they enter.

I know you are saying as you read this that Mexico isn’t safe, but indeed it is considered so for the purpose of asylum. It will be a real test of the new Mexican government if they permit the movement of the Honduran caravan across Mexico and to the US border.

Just as Elizabeth Warren’s Indian heritage stunt isn’t good for the Dems three weeks out from the mid term elections, neither is this migrant caravan should it reach our border.

It will just be one more argument in favor of President Trump’s hardline immigration stance.

Here is the AP at the Chicago Tribune yesterday:

Honduran migrant caravan crosses Guatemala border, US-bound

Hundreds of Honduran migrants surged over the Guatemalan border under a broiling sun Monday hoping to make it to new lives in the United States, far from the poverty and violence of their home nation.

Police stopped the migrants at a roadblock outside Esquipulas for several hours in the afternoon, but the travelers refused to return to the border and were eventually allowed to pass.

They arrived in town as night fell, exhausted by the day’s heat, hobbling on blistered feet. Few carried food and some local residents began to organize to help feed them. Some migrants asked for money, others passing a bakery were handed bread.

map honduras etc — They crossed from Honduras and into Guatemala yesterday.

Earlier in the day, the migrants arrived at the Guatemalan border singing the Honduran national anthem, praying and chanting, “Yes, we can.” The group estimated at 1,600 or more defied an order by the Guatemalan government that they not be allowed to pass.

“We have rights,” the migrants shouted.

[….]

Local media coverage prompted hundreds more to join, and Dunia Montoya, a volunteer assisting the migrants, estimated Sunday that the group had grown to at least 1,600 people. Police gave their own estimate of around 2,000 on Monday. [Find out who the “volunteer” works for and find out who organized the march. Could it be the Catholic Church?—-ed]

The caravan formed a day after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged the presidents of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to persuade their citizens to stay home and not put their families in danger by undertaking the risky journey to the United States.

In April, President Donald Trump threatened in April to withdraw foreign aid from Honduras and countries that allowed transit for a similar caravan that set out from the Central American country. That caravan dwindled as the group approached the U.S. border, with some giving up along the way and others splitting off to try to cross on their own.

Historian Dana Frank, an expert on human rights and U.S. policy in Honduras, said the caravan could have political implications in the United States less than a month before the midterm elections.

More here.

Yes, it surely could and my prediction is that the impact will favor Republicans who support Trump’s stronger border initiatives.

You may have noticed that the Dems are campaigning with no mention of immigration (if they can avoid it).

So, make sure you send this news to everyone you know!

Australian detainees deteriorating mental health blamed on Donald Trump

10/15/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

First, of course, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees blames Australia, but our President is criticized for not taking more of Australia’s illegal aliens to America causing them to want to kill themselves.

I sure hope the President has learned his lesson. You can never be nice with these no borders pushers and their media sycophants.

Remember when he arrived in the White House and quickly agreed (pending extreme vetting) to take 1,250 of Australian asylum seekers, housed in camps on Manus and Nauru islands, in an Obama deal he dubbed a “dumb deal.”

manus-island-refugees-1-960x540 (1) — 418 of the mostly Muslim men detained by Australia are already in a US town near you.

Here we are, just short of two years and we have placed in your American town 418 of the mostly Muslim migrants who tried to break in to Australia by boat about six or so years ago.

Australia had taken a hard line against illegal alien border crashers and denied entry to the mainland to anyone breaking in by boat. They were placed in offshore detention. Needless to say, the policy stopped the boat traffic!

Those mostly Muslim men have been in offshore detention ever since. Well, except for 418 who are now free in America.

Here is the latest ….

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

UN refugee agency calls for mass evacuation of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus

The United Nations refugee agency has joined calls for immediate evacuation of the remaining 1400 refugees and asylum seekers stranded on Nauru and Manus Island, citing a “collapsing health situation”.

The UNHCR’s appeal to the Australian government to end offshore processing follows warnings from global humanitarian body Médecins Sans Frontières about the “absolutely devastating” situation as dozens of refugees are knocked back for resettlement in the United States under President Donald Trump’s “extreme vetting”.

“Australia remains responsible under international law for those who have sought its protection,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Catherine Stubberfield.

Trump and Turnbull — Trump, only weeks after taking office, told then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that it was a “dumb deal” but went ahead with it anyway.

“In the context of deteriorating health and reduced medical care, Australia must now act to prevent further tragedy to those forcibly transferred under its so-called ‘offshore processing’ policy. UNHCR renews its call for refugees and asylum-seekers to be moved immediately to Australia, where they can receive adequate support and care.”

You can’t win Donald!

A deal negotiated with former US president Barack Obama to resettle up to 1250 refugees has been hampered by Mr Trump’s hardline immigration stance. According to the Department of Home Affairs, 418 people have now been accepted for resettlement under the deal. Médecins Sans Frontières said the rejections were causing people to become “extremely hopeless”.

The federal government has refused calls for the refugees to be brought to Australia or be resettled in New Zealand, arguing that doing so would risk people smugglers restarting their trade. Refugees can also accept resettlement in Papua New Guinea or a 20-year visa to live in Nauru.

More here.

See my extensive file on the ‘Australia deal’ by clicking here. Obama made the deal with the Aussies as he was headed out the door in 2016.

Not our problem!

You might also want to visit my post from just the other day about how we are taking ‘refugees’ (really asylum seekers not even designated refugees yet) off the hands of countries that are safe countries in a process that is clearly stretching international norms on how resettlement is supposed to work.

Two weeks in to the fiscal year, Maryland moves to the top of the list for the most refugees resettled

10/14/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I had told myself that I was going to be more diligent in checking data this year as refugees were being placed by the Trump Administration.

eritrean-refugees2 (1) — Eritreans make up one of the largest groups attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

The first arrivals were reported here four days ago.

So, when I checked just now I was surprised to see that Maryland, which usually comes in in the middle of the pack, had moved to the number one state for resettlement so far.

Granted we are only talking about 30 refugees out of a total of 274 that have arrived in the US since October 1, but I think it is worth mentioning.

Eritrea map — The Trump Administration is prioritizing Africa for resettlement to the US this year. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2018/09/25/trump-administration-to-prioritize-africans-in-fy19-refugee-admissions-to-us/

Using the interactive data reports at Wrapsnet, here is what I learned.

Forty Eritreans entered the US in the last two weeks and 25 of them were placed in Maryland.

Additionally Maryland received 5 from the DR Congo.

Baltimore was the resettlement city for all of the Congolese and all but three of the Eritreans.

Of course if you know anything about Maryland you are likely wondering what the heck are they going to do for jobs in Baltimore (no meatpacking plants that I know of!).

We don’t know what religious affiliation the Eritreans who came to Maryland claim, but know that 17 out of the total 40 Eritreans who came to the US in the last 2 weeks are Muslims.

The usual reason given for why Eritreans are leaving their country is because the dictatorship there has mandatory military conscription. Because of that, you get new neighbors!

(It has been awhile, but see a post I wrote about the diversity being added to a troubled Baltimore.)

Missouri: Catholic refugee agency complains about cuts to their federal funding

10/13/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is my solution for those doing Christian ‘charitable’ work for refugees—find more VOLUNTEERS!

Do Catholics have to be paid by taxpayers to do their religious charitable work, it sure sounds like it!

Everywhere I turn there is a new story about how that mean ol’ Donald Trump is cutting the funding to ‘non-profit’ ‘humanitarian’ groups who place refugees in your towns and cities. There are so many now I don’t post most of them.

This story, however, from Columbia, Missouri had a few nuggets of information, one in particular was new to me.

Refugee and Immigration Services, operated by Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri says it is being paid $4,000 a head per refugee it places. Yikes! That is almost twice any number we have ever seen for the per head payment.

Screenshot (739) — Somali family welcomed to Columbia by Catholic Charities in wake of Trump 2017 ban. https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/somali-refugees-affected-by-the-travel-ban-arrive-in-columbia/article_f7645b92-f54b-11e6-a52c-ab441118728a.html

From the Missourian:

Cuts to refugee admissions hit Columbia resettlement agency

The staff at Refugee and Immigration Services has been under increasing pressure, given the caps President Donald Trump has placed on the number of refugees allowed to enter the country. Those diminishing caps result in less federal money for agencies that serve refugees.

[….]

The budget from fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2018 fell from $1 million to around $625,000, Dan Lester, director of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, said. The local office also went from staff of 11 to seven, with only four being full-time. That means more duties for fewer people.

I just had a look at a recent Form 990 for this Catholic agency and yes they did receive a million dollars of taxpayer money and approximately $793,000 of it went to salaries, benefits, and pension plans for employees!

The agency, which is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has traditionally received about $4,000 per refugee to provide services during their first six to 12 months in the country, Lester said.

Agencies must help provide:

Payment for their first six months of rent.

Clothing, food and all daily household items.

Assistance in finding a job.

Access to English classes.

Access to social programs they may need, such as counseling or SNAP benefits. [Other welfare—ed]

Orientation into an entirely new culture.

It seems to me that most of that list could be handled by volunteers and private donations!

The Missourian continues…

While the agency still gets its $4,000 per refugee, that funding doesn’t factor in those who came to Columbia in previous years and still rely on local services, Finn said. [That is funny because we are told repeatedly that refugees are self-sufficient and on their own in under 6 months. Hmmm!—ed]

“We just don’t have the time and energy to give the refugees that we used to,” Finn said. “Everyone has a lot more families to work with.”

“Time and energy” sounds like something they could get for free from volunteers!

More here.

By the way, Catholic Charities are usually under the umbrella of their primary federal contractor—The US Conference of Catholic Bishops—for their refugee allotment each year.

We are still taking ‘refugees’ from safe countries

10/13/2018 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Every so often I check out the Processing Country data at the Refugee Processing Center (Wrapsnet) maintained by the US State Department.

rpclogo

More frequently I report to you about the nationalities entering the US, but processing country data is very different.

From processing country data, we learn in which countries supposed ‘refugees’ are processed in to the US, but we don’t learn where they came from before they arrived in that country.

I first became aware of this about ten years ago when I noticed that illegal aliens, who arrived by boat at the tiny island nation of Malta in the Mediterranean, were being sent to the US as refugees. (See my explanation of refugees vs. asylum here yesterday.)

What!!! Malta is a safe country in the EU, anyone arriving there claiming to be a refugee by seeking asylum must apply there, not be packed off to the US.

I have a huge file on Malta where this legally questionable movement of mostly Africans to your towns was put in place during the administration of George W. Bush and continues through today.

We are doing the same with Israel and South Africa where migrants get in to those countries from elsewhere (seeking asylum) and we help those governments out by taking some of their excess off their hands.

Heck, we have our own problem on our southern border where illegal aliens cross by the tens of thousands and then ask for asylum.

Are we going to ask Malta, South Africa and Israel to take a few of our excess asylum seekers? (Don’t laugh!)

Here (below) is the end of the fiscal year data table for Processing Country. I’m posting this now because it will disappear by the beginning of November.

Again, just so you know we are not taking Maltese people, South Africans or Israelis to America, the numbers represented here are people from elsewhere who got in to those three countries and are unwanted by those three countries.

Screenshot (1487)_LI

Screenshot (1488)_LI

Notice the numbers for Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Those are the Australian rejected asylum seekers we are taking off Australia’s hands in the same possibly illegal manner.

There are probably other questionable processing countries above, but the three I have highlighted are countries which I have followed closely over the years.

The Trump Administration could stop this possibly illegal use of the refugee admissions process in a heartbeat if they wanted to! Congress would not have to be involved!

If you haven’t noticed, I have a link in the right hand corner of RRW for the White House contact information. Please take time to express your opinion to the President.