They are changing America by changing the people
(Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini)
While many of us are fixated on our own migrant invasion at the border, Europe is in a tizzy as Italy refuses a docking request from a second migrant ferry (aka rescue boat) from Libya.
Continue reading “Updates: Italy refuses another migrant ship; Germany's Merkel less popular, but holding on”
Not a huge shock for most followers of Refugee Resettlement Watch, but good to see that the citizens of Minnesota are being given the hard facts so that they can decide what will be best for their families going forward.
From Twin Cities Pioneer Press:
Minnesota continues to grow more diverse, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.
The latest data showed that populations of people of color have increased faster in Minnesota than the rest of the nation since 2010. Meanwhile, the state’s white population growth remained relatively stagnant.
The change can be seen in the ethnic communities emerging around St. Paul; in the expansion of organizations such as the Karen Organization of Minnesota and the Hmong American Partnership; and in St. Paul Public Schools, where in 2010 district families spoke 77 different languages at home — that stood at 128 languages in 2017.
Janna Johnson, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs who studies minority populations, said the latest numbers likely don’t tell the entire story. Minority populations tend to be undercounted, meaning Minnesota’s is likely even larger, she said. [Why? Because minorities don’t answer census questions or simply hide.—-ed]
No need to learn English, just go to Minnesota and keep speaking Somali!
Mohamad SheikOmer, who started the Somali-Oromo Peace Task Force in St. Paul, has noticed the uptick in diversity since he moved to Minnesota. SheikOmer, who has a wife and seven children, moved from Ethiopia to Maryland in April 2014, then St. Paul three months later.
He relocated his family to Minnesota because there are more opportunities, noting for example it’s much easier to find people who speak Somali in St. Paul than in Maryland.
“We can help each other at work, how to get benefits, how to get schooling,” SheikOmer said.
More here.
“Benefits” is, of course, a big reason refugees are migrating to Minnesota and a good reason Minnesota was chosen as a prime resettlement site more than thirty years ago by the US State Department and its contractors (Catholic Charities, Lutheran Immigration, and World Relief) for Somali resettlement.
Just a few days ago I told readers how many Somalis have been resettled in the US under the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program since the early 1980’s, here.
Don’t miss this post: You are old and we are taking over!
Last week someone asked me to have a look at the numbers of Somalis admitted to the US since 9/11.
It so happens that the US State Department site, Refugee Processing Center (Wrapsnet) has the data very nicely organized since 2002, so the request was pretty easy to accomplish.
However, prior to that year, one must pour over ORR Annual Reports to pull the numbers together.
In 2008, I wrote this post (updated too) and showed you what I found at those Annual Reports.
Here are the Somali refugee admissions from 1983-2002. Remember! These are only the direct refugee admissions and do not include Temporary Protected Status holders, successful asylum seekers who appeared at our borders, illegal entrants, or the family members brought in throughout the years.
And, if you are thinking this doesn’t seem high enough, remember there have been 35 years of population growth!
Continue reading “How many Somali refugees has the US admitted since 1983?”
It has been quiet for awhile—months I believe—since we’ve heard of another shipment of Australia’s rejected asylum seekers to America in that dumb deal Obama made and Trump is continuing.
Unlike feckless European leaders, Australia’s government at the time, rightly and successfully, blocked the arrival of migrant boats about five years ago and apprehended those trying to break in to the country. They were packed off to offshore island detention centers and efforts were made to get them to return to where they came from.
Most didn’t, and Obama rode to the rescue and said, sure, send these ‘refugees’ to America.
(Readers, this is a completely unorthodox and possibly illegal use of the Refugee Admissions Program.)
None had arrived yet when Donald Trump first set foot in the White House, so he could have (should have!) stopped the airlift before it began. He didn’t and they are coming to a town near you—mostly Muslims, mostly men, from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Burmese Rohingya.
New batch is on the way…
Continue reading “More of Australia's rejected migrants headed to your American city”
Overshadowed by the huge controversy surrounding the rescue boat ‘Aquarius’ this past week, is the news that a US naval vessel has picked up 40 migrants off the coast of Libya, and as of this writing is stuck with them.
Other so-called ‘rescue boats’ won’t take them fearing that they will be blocked from landing in nearby European ports.
Continue reading “US war ship picks up 40 migrants off coast of Libya, now what?”