Just as in the US, Canada is spreading out refugees across its entire geographic landscape (see map for Saskatoon).   World Refugee Day yesterday inspired all sorts of news releases, it was a great news ‘hook’ to repeat how great refugees are for communities.  

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced funding to help refugees settle and succeed in Saskatoon.

The Saskatoon Open Door Society will receive over $260,000 and Global Gathering Place will receive over $65,000 to help up to 200 refugees begin their new lives in Saskatchewan.

“Canada is a blessed country, and the Government of Canada is committed to helping those truly in need to begin their new lives in Canada,” said Minister Finley. “As we celebrate World Refugee Day later this week, these services will help them along their journey. The hopes and dreams they bring with them will help build a richer and stronger Canada.”

Falling on June 20, World Refugee Day is an annual opportunity to honour the courage of the millions of refugees and displaced people around the world.

This post is just FYI for our Canadian readers.  There is some contact information at the end of the news release in case you need to reach Canadian refugee officials.  You might want to find out where the 200 new refugees are coming from.

This tiny little mention in a blog today reminded me to once again try to explain why there is on-going resentment toward refugees in local communities.  We saw it in our county last year and we have written about it on many occasions at RRW.

Here is the notice that inspired this post: 

Cars for Refugees

LiNK is seeking cars to be used by North Korean refugees resettled here in the US. If you are able to donate and would like more information, please email info (at) linkglobal.org with the subject headline “Cars for Refugees.”

All contributions are, of course, tax-deductible!

By the way, we have guietly started taking North Korean refugees.  Up until 2005 the ORR database shows no refugees from North Korea, but 2006 and 2007 indicate we are now taking a handfull.    But, I guess its enough to encourage some NGO to solicit cars for them.

Refugees enter the US with all sorts of goodies including air fare (technically they are supposed to return this loan money, but many don’t), a housing stipend, medical care, food stamps and the list goes on.   Also, the volags (voluntary agencies contracted to resettle refugees) can participate in a special government program (Match Grant) that returns cash to the volags for junk they collect—including used cars. 

I don’t know if this particular organization (with this advertisement) is getting taxpayer cash for cars, but they are seeking donations of cars for this particular group of refugees.

So, it’s no wonder that Americans living with not much, such as those we mentioned recently in Roanoke, VA or the Quad-cities area of IL,  get resentful.   And, no matter where the refugees are resettled stories abound that refugees get special treatment and it makes for very bad relations in communities where citizens ask, “What about our own poor people?”

See this early post on refugees getting cars and then go read this 2003 VDARE article by Thomas Allen that explains in more depth how (it’s no rumor), that goodies (and cars) flow to refugees.

And, to which states were they resettled.    I just realized we don’t have all these databases in one handy place.   Here are links to the Office of Refugee Resettlement data bases for refugees resettled in the US.

First, for a very handy chart for 1983-2005, go here.  [Update:  January 2013, link no longer available]

Then for individual years from 2001 to 2008, go here.

Your tax dollars:

Early in April we reported on a study of the cost of immigration to the American economy.  I had meant to follow up on Economist Edwin Rubenstein’s work and give you links for further edification.    Thanks to a reader for reminding me this morning.

Go to the Social Contract Journal here for all the titles in this massive study. 

Here is one bit in the section on refugee resettlement in the report on the US State Department that you might have seen before but is worth citing again today just as the US Senate considers amnesty for illegal farm workers.

These numbers apply to the majority of refugees resettled in the US, because most are uneducated.  

The fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget contains $774 million for “Migration and Refugee Assistance”—up from $750 million the prior year.

The lion’s share of the public costs associated with refugees occurs at the state and local level, where refugees are eligible for a wide array of social programs and benefits—including access to public education.

In recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Robert Rector estimated the fiscal deficit of households headed by immigrants who lack a high school diploma—a reasonable proxy for refugees. Cite. Rector finds that the average uneducated immigrant household:

Receives $30,164 in government benefits

Pays $10,573 in government taxes

Generates a fiscal deficit of $19,588 ($30,164 less $10,573)

So it costs us, the American citizen, nearly $20,000  per refugee to supply cheap labor to big companies like Tyson’s Food, Swift and Co., and even the likes of Sealy Mattress.

Note:  I’m filing this in our category entitled “where to find information.”