This is a story we missed earlier this month, but Chris Coen at Friends of Refugees blog spotted the news and reported on it here. (Hat tip: Joanne)
Eskinder Negash resigns.
Eskinder Negash, who has served as the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement for the last six years, tendered his resignation on December 9th, see it here, calling himself not a “political man.” Of course the implication is that the job is a meat-grinder.
We don’t know what was going on behind the scenes that would push Negash out without having a plan for his future (as he indicates in his letter), but my big problem with his position there is that he himself was a federal contractor at the supposedly charitable US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), now on the federal payroll for 99% of its funds, before he came to the ORR. By the way, the present head honcho at USCRI (Negash’s former boss) was also Bill Clinton’s Director of the ORR!
His partner over at the US State Department, Anne Richard, is also a former contractor. And, I will bet that Negash is replaced by yet another high ranking executive from one of the nine federal contractors.***
The incestuous nature of the relationship between grantor and grantee must be investigated by Congress! You can be sure the present system does not bode well for the US taxpayer being assured that waste, fraud and abuse is being monitored closely. Heck, if there was an effort to seriously watch the contractors, the federal manager (Richard or Negash) would never get a job on the outside in the refugee industry again.
*** These are the nine VOLAGs (contractors) which monopolize the refugee resettlement program. Let’s see which one sends a top level staffer to replace Negash!
For some unknown reason information on the International Rescue Committee’s D.C. lobbying office came up in one of my alerts this morning. Maybe it’s because last week they put out an alert to tell supporters of the refugee resettlement industry to call US Senators working on the Gang of Eight plus Grover bill being marked up in the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
We told you about that here last Thursday. (Go there to see what you must do!)
You need to call today too! S.744 will increase the number of refugees and asylees in the US and it provides a slush fund for “non-profits” like the 9 BIG federal refugee contractors and their 300 plus subcontractors.
I recommend that you tell Senators that due to recent refugee-perpetrated terrorism cases that they should strip all references to the refugee program from S.744 and hold separate hearings!
To add insult to injury, the word is that the US State Department helps to fund the lobbying offices for the contractors. I have written about that before especially as it relates to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (or any of the nine)—it infuriates me to think the Bishops are taking your hard-earned tax dollars to fund their lobbying campaigns!
Here is what the IRC says about their DC shop. And, btw, they were not at the State Department hearing on Wednesday. Where were they? Or did they feel they had an inside track to the State Dept and didn’t need to provide their wishlist for 2014 before their critics in public?
Asst. Secretary of State for PRM, Anne Richard, in Philadelphia recently with an Iranian transgender refugee.
Oh, yeh, they do have an inside track—Anne Richard, the Asst. Secretary of State for the refugee program, just recently left the IRC as one of its 6-figure salaried veeps. Classic Washington DC case of the revolving door (federal contractors in and out of government jobs)!
The International Rescue Committee office in Washington, DC maintains relations with U.S. government offices, especially those that support some of the IRC’s programs. This includes the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Migration, and Refugees and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The IRC meets regularly with decision-makers on both sides of the political aisle, and in both the Executive branch and Congress, to raise issues of concern and advocate for change in U.S. government policies. The IRC is also active working in coalitions and with other non-governmental organizations. Members of IRC’s public policy and advocacy department in Washington, DC also plan and guide IRC’s global advocacy efforts [Like snuggling up to Hamid Karzai?—ed]. The Washington, DC office houses staff from IRC’s International Programs Department and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
Contact Us:
International Rescue Committee
1730 M Street, NW – Suite 505
Washington DC 20036
Tel: 202-822-0166
Fax: (202) 822-0089
e-mail: advocacy@rescue.org
Gang member, Senator Graham, has amendments to S.744 for the purpose of increasing security in the refugee program.
Senator Lindsey Graham still has two amendments pending that are apparently inspired by the Boston refugee bombers ‘success’ in killing and maiming innocent Americans on April 15th. We told you about them here and here. It will be interesting to see if those commonsense security enhancements make it through mark-up. You can bet the IRC is lobbying hard against them today!
Here is our entire archive on the IRC for the ambitious readers among you! They just hired former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to step into his $450,000 a year job as its new CEO.
Photo is from Philadelphia Gay News, here. Muslims persecute gays, so there is a big push to bring in refugees who are LGBTs from Sharia-loving countries.
They want to know what you think the “appropriate size and scope” of the program should be for Fiscal year 2014. (We are presently resettling an average of 70,000 refugees a year and many are coming from Islamic countries.)
If you have friends in the media, tell them to cover this hearing!
Here is my post from last week(I promised to repeat this every week until the deadline for testimony May 8th).
Readers this post is a repeat of one I wrote last week. I promised to reprint this information every week until the deadline for testimony—May 8th—arrives.
You have virtually no voice in the decision about bringing refugees to America—where they come from and in what towns and cities they will be placed. However, each year the US State Department hears mostly from federal resettlement contractors (nine majorand approximately 300 subcontractors) to help them determine who (and how many) will be resettled. The contractors have a vested interest because they are paid by the head (by you, the taxpayer) to resettle as many refugees as the State Department lets them have.
The State Department will be looking to set its (the President’s) goals for FY2014 on May 15th.
You can send testimony too! Here is what you need to do, be sure to pay attention to the last part about copying your testimony to your elected officials. (Your US Representatives and Senators have pretty much abrogated their roles in questioning this program.)
And, one last thing—The Boston Chechens were not the first refugee/asylee terrorists who have entered the US and been caught, just the most successful so far.
My post from last week:
Anne C. Richard, Asst. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration—we love the UN!
Every week from now until May 8th, I’m going to repeat this post!
Do not be silent!
The US State Department holds a hearing, usually in May, largely populated by the refugee contractors telling sob stories and looking to boost the number and variety of refugees (not to mention the contractor’s income) to be admitted to the US in the upcoming fiscal year. My report on last year’s hearing is here.
Last year, and maybe for the first time ever, critical comments outnumbered those looking to add more refugees to already overloaded cities and states. Let’s do it again!
The meeting’s purpose is to hear the views of attendees on the appropriate size and scope of the FY 2014 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Your testimony can be long or short, detailed or general, but get something in by the deadline of 5 p.m. May 8th!
Address testimony to: Anne C. Richard, Asst. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, US State Department, Washington, DC. 20037
Reference Federal Register Public Notice 8241
E-mail or fax to Delicia Spruell:
Persons wishing to present written comments should submit them by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 via email to spruellda@state.gov or fax (202) 453-9393.
Now listen-up, this is important! If you don’t copy your testimony to your elected officials, you can be sure your testimony to the State Department will never see the light of day!
You must put cc at the bottom of your testimony and list the following:
~Your member of the House of Representatives (look up their addresses!)
~Your US Senators
~Any elected officials in your state who may be interested
Also, send to (and list on your testimony):
~US Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. Go herefor list of Subcommittee Members. You will be listing and mailing to the Subcommittee, however, if your US Senator is on that subcommittee then please be sure they are listed prominently on the testimony you send to the State Department. Mail to: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Mail your testimony to the Subcommittee even if your Senator is not on it!
~House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. Go here for a list of all the Subcommittees and see if your Member of Congress is on the Subcommittee. But, even if he or she isn’t then still send your testimony here(addressed to the Subcommittee): 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, p/202-225-3951.
When sending anything to your US Senators or Members of Congress always ask a question so that hopefully it forces them to answer your letter! You might ask them to put pressure on the State Department to have this “hearing” held in several locations around the country!
If you plan to attend the hearingin Washington on May 15th (location and time details in my previous post), you need to let Ms. Spruell know by the same deadline.
Persons wishing to attend this meeting must notify the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at telephone (202) 453-9257 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, to reserve a seat.
Send me a copy of your testimony and indicate whether or not I have permission to publish it!
I made a special category for testimony last year, here. So, check it out and see what others said last May.
Readers this post is a repeat of one I wrote last week. I promised to reprint this information every week until the deadline for testimony—May 8th—arrives.
You have virtually no voice in the decision about bringing refugees to America—where they come from and in what towns and cities they will be placed. However, each year the US State Department hears mostly from federal resettlement contractors (nine majorand approximately 300 subcontractors) to help them determine who (and how many) will be resettled. The contractors have a vested interest because they are paid by the head (by you, the taxpayer) to resettle as many refugees as the State Department lets them have.
Anne Richard, Asst. Secretary of State for PRM, revolved into her job from a resettlement contractor position at the International Rescue Committee. Before that she was at the State Department!
The State Department will be looking to set its (the President’s) goals for FY2014 on May 15th.
You can send testimony too! Here is what you need to do, be sure to pay attention to the last part about copying your testimony to your elected officials. (Your US Representatives and Senators have pretty much abrogated their roles in questioning this program.)
And, one last thing—The Boston Chechens were not the first refugee/asylee terrorists who have entered the US and been caught, just the most successful so far.
My post from last week:
Every week from now until May 8th, I’m going to repeat this post!
Do not be silent!
The US State Department holds a hearing, usually in May, largely populated by the refugee contractors telling sob stories and looking to boost the number and variety of refugees (not to mention the contractor’s income) to be admitted to the US in the upcoming fiscal year. My report on last year’s hearing is here.
Last year, and maybe for the first time ever, critical comments outnumbered those looking to add more refugees to already overloaded cities and states. Let’s do it again!
The meeting’s purpose is to hear the views of attendees on the appropriate size and scope of the FY 2014 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Your testimony can be long or short, detailed or general, but get something in by the deadline of 5 p.m. May 8th!
Address testimony to: Anne Richard, Asst. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, US State Department, Washington, DC.
Reference Federal Register Public Notice 8241
E-mail or fax to Delicia Spruell:
Persons wishing to present written comments should submit them by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 via email to spruellda@state.gov or fax (202) 453-9393.
Now listen-up, this is important! If you don’t copy your testimony to your elected officials, you can be sure your testimony to the State Department will never see the light of day!
You must put cc at the bottom of your testimony and list the following:
~Your member of the House of Representatives (look up their addresses!)
~Your US Senators
~Any elected officials in your state who may be interested
Also, send to (and list on your testimony):
~US Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. Go herefor list of Subcommittee Members. You will be listing and mailing to the Subcommittee, however, if your US Senator is on that subcommittee then please be sure they are listed prominently on the testimony you send to the State Department. Mail to: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Mail your testimony to the Subcommittee even if your Senator is not on it!
~House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. Go here for a list of all the Subcommittees and see if your Member of Congress is on the Subcommittee. But, even if he or she isn’t then still send your testimony here(addressed to the Subcommittee): 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, p/202-225-3951.
When sending anything to your US Senators or Members of Congress always ask a question so that hopefully it forces them to answer your letter! You might ask them to put pressure on the State Department to have this “hearing” held in several locations around the country!
If you plan to attend the hearingin Washington on May 15th (location and time details in my previous post), you need to let Ms. Spruell know by the same deadline.
Persons wishing to attend this meeting must notify the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at telephone (202) 453-9257 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, to reserve a seat.
Send me a copy of your testimony and indicate whether or not I have permission to publish it!
I made a special category for testimony last year, here. So, check it out and see what others said last May.
For some unknown reason information on the International Rescue Committee’s D.C. lobbying office came up in one of my alerts this morning. Maybe it’s because last week they put out an alert to tell supporters of the refugee resettlement industry to call US Senators working on the Gang of Eight plus Grover bill being marked up in the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
