Tag: asylum seekers

Cyprus: Iranian hunger-strikers demand good jobs

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

No farm work for these ‘asylum seekers’ or they will kill themselves!

Iranian hunger strikers in Cyprus. Do they look like they haven’t eaten in 52 days?

Sheesh, do you believe this one!  From Cyprus Mail  (hat tip: ‘pungentpeppers’):

AS THEY enter day 52 of their hunger strike and the fourth day without water, Iranian political refugees who are camped outside the Interior Ministry asking to be granted citizenship or residency, warn that they won’t back down.

All the petitioners are political refugees, having fled their countries out of fear for their lives and that of their family members.

“I’d rather die here than give up. We can’t live like that anymore”, one of the strikers told the Cyprus Mail, pointing out that they just want what they are entitled to by international law. “We are recognised political refugees. We fled our countries, some of us over ten years ago. We have been trying to get long term residency status or citizenship for years, so we can move legally to other European countries. We have friends and family in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and other countries. Some of us just want to leave, not stay here. We don’t want money. We are qualified, we want to work and contribute”, he said.

The four hunger strikers are Muhammad Altaf and Asadollah Panahimehr, who have been camped out at the Ministry of Interior for over a month, and friend Salah Chanim who joined them recently.  [I guess they aren’t Christian Iranians.—ed]

Surprise (NOT!)  They got the attention of the UNHCR which expressed sympathy for the extortionists!

The strikers were visited yesterday by Damtew Dessalegne, representative of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, who expressed his sympathy and support for their cause.

No farm work for me said Muhammad Altaf:

The minister also commented on the fact that one of the refugees, who has been out of work for three years, hasn’t registered with the unemployment office. Hasikos claims that the man refuses to register because the office won’t find him a job fitting his qualifications. “The Interior ministry cannot ensure that anyone, local or immigrant, would be given a job according to his qualifications”, he remarked.

The man in question, Altaf, is a software engineer and said he was told he could only work on farms.

Check out the comments!  Several suggest they don’t look like they are starving. One suggests they go back to Iran and fight to save their country from the fanatics.  Here is a good one from ‘Almostbroke’ wanting answers to some questions:

Did they arrive at immigration at the airport ? Did they present documentation? Did they comply with the Dublin Convention ! or are they like a lot of other so called refugees ,egged on by self appointed NGOs like KISA, to ´make it up as they go along´as usual ! Flout a countries immigration laws and then expect specialist treatment, its happening in every EU country where there are generous Social Welfare benefits.

Let’s see, farm work? or kill myself? farm work? or kill myself?  What would a logical and legitimate refugee choose?

Maine: Somalis/others protest welfare rule change proposal

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update January 13th:  More here by Daniel Greenfield at Frontpage mag.

Leftist community organizers bused them in to the state capital from Portland and Lewiston, the twin hubs of the Somali/immigrant centers in Maine.

Somali community organizer Fatuma Hussein: “We are the future of Maine. We are the face of Maine.”
Photo Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The Portland Press Herald story begins with an immigrant success story, a man who made it in Maine having come from a non-Muslim country.  Of course to persuade you how much refugees contribute they aren’t going to tell you about the asylum-seeking/welfare mooching Tsarnaev family nor Esar Met in Utah (the horror I will get back to shortly).

Here is the Portland Press Herald where the words ‘asylum seekers’ feature prominently in the title to gain your sympathy (hat tip: pungentpeppers).  Emphasis is mine:

On Friday, he [the star of their story] was among more than 100 people who turned out to oppose a proposed rule change that would prohibit hundreds of asylum seekers and some other immigrants from receiving General Assistance while waiting for their work permits.

“This is what the program was designed for – to help people with similar situations become self-sufficient,” he said.

Immigrants, attorneys, faith leaders and advocates for the poor urged the Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw the proposal, saying it is illegal, mean-spirited and morally wrong. They argued that it would cut off a life line for many people who arrive in Maine and apply for asylum – a process that can take years.

The rule change is being proposed by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration. The governor has made welfare reform a priority in his three years in office, and a major theme of his re-election campaign.  [Gee, maybe Gov. Christie could try something bold like this!—ed]

Asylum-seekers do not get on federal welfare until they have been granted asylum.  Remember that!  It was mentioned in our gay Russian post recently.  Refugees resettled by the US State Department and their federal contractors get taxpayer goodies immediately (see our fact sheet).

The change would align Maine’s program with federal aid programs, which don’t provide benefits to immigrants until they have been in the country for five years, said DHHS spokesman John Martins. General Assistance is funded entirely by the state and local governments, and is based now only on financial need, not citizenship status. Cities or towns that want to provide the aid could continue to do so, without state money, Martins said.

Advocates estimate that as many as 1,000 immigrants who are seeking asylum in Maine would lose access to General Assistance.  [Maine has that many in the court system seeking asylum?  I don’t believe it.—ed]

Opponents of the rule change were bused from Portland and Lewiston, cities with significant immigrant populations, for a hearing Friday before DHHS officials in Augusta.

[…..]

The change would affect primarily new immigrants who are not yet citizens and are not refugees resettled here by the federal government.  [Catholic Charities is the primary federal resettlement contractor in Maine—ed]

The taxpayers of Maine are paying a lot of money to support all these immigrants on welfare:

In fiscal year 2012, Maine communities provided a total of $17.5 million in General Assistance, $13.2 million of which came from the state budget, according to the DHHS. Portland provided $9.6 million in General Assistance to 4,376 individuals and families in the last fiscal year, with 90 percent of that money spent on food and shelter, according to the city.

Of the total spent, $2.4 million came from property taxpayers and $7.2 million came from the state [taxpayers!–ed].

Now get this! Somali community leader says they are the future of Maine [and you better take care of us!—ed].

“This proposed rule will result in increased homelessness and hunger for immigrant women and their children,” said Fatuma Hussein, the director of Somali Women of Maine. “We are the future of Maine. We are the face of Maine. The face of Maine is changing.”

Here is our previous post on Governor LePage’s initiative. Go here for all of our extensive coverage on Lewiston, and here on our coverage of Maine (lots of crimes and welfare fraud stories).  One of our top posts of all time at RRW is this one:  Somali migration to Maine: it’s the welfare magnet, stupid!

20,000 African ‘asylum seekers’ marched in Tel Aviv over the weekend, demand their “rights”

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update:  UNHCR blasts Israel’s treatment of would-be “refugees” (here).  So where is the blast at Saudi Arabia?

Those paragons of Muslim charity in Saudi Arabia can deport Africans by the thousands with no public outcry, yet, Israel is called evil for not giving asylum to tens of thousands of Africans who would soon turn Tel Aviv into Marseille!  The double standard is outrageous, and heck S.A. actually has the land to accommodate their fellow Muslims.

From 972Mag:

Over 20,000 asylum seekers, mostly from Eritrea, assembled in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square Sunday morning to demand recognition as refugees. Across Israel, asylum seekers went on a three-day strike, and more protests were planned.

In recent weeks, the government stepped up the arrest and imprisonment of African asylum seekers who entered the state without permits. Several months ago, Israel’s High Court of Justice struck down a law authorizing the state to lock up for three years any person who entered the country illegally, and in some cases, indefinitely. But last month the Knesset passed a new law, authorizing the state to hold asylum seekers in “closed” prisons for a year. A new “open” holding facility named “Holot” began operating in the desert, where asylum seekers can be held indefinitely until their eventual deportation.

The government has stepped up enforcement measures against Israeli businesses that employ asylum seekers in recent weeks and months and municipalities have been shutting down shops and restaurants owned by Africans, adding to a feeling of despair in the asylum seeker community.

The general strike is the latest step in the African protest campaign against the recent measures.

There is more, go to 972Mag for the story and especially the photos.

Aljazeera puts the number of protesters at 30,000, here, called the largest “migrant rally” in Israel’s history.

See our category Israel and refugees for more on the issue.

UN: Don’t send asylum seekers back to Bulgaria!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Where they could face “inhuman or degrading treatment” say the UN bullies.

If you are wondering what this is all about, the European Union has this dumb thing called the ‘Dublin Regulation’ which says if ‘asylum seekers’ trek across some poor border country—like Bulgaria, Greece, or Malta—and seek asylum in some other European country then they can be sent back to the poor border country and apply there.  You can see how this might deter the migrants who are asylum shopping, but imagine what it does to the poor border country that couldn’t handle the influx in the first place.

Bulgaria’s rightwing Ataka Party is expected to do well in May EU elections.

Here is the story from Fox News:

BERLIN –  The United Nations’ refugee agency is urging European countries to hold off returning asylum seekers to Bulgaria, citing problems with access to basic services and with asylum procedures.

Under the “Dublin procedure,” European Union countries return illegal migrants to the first EU country they entered. Bulgaria is on the bloc’s eastern edge and has seen increasing numbers of asylum seekers in recent months, among them people fleeing Syria’s civil war.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees urged other countries Friday to suspend returning migrants to Bulgaria because of risks they could face “inhuman or degrading treatment”; it plans to review the situation in April.

April! More likely May after the EU Parliament elections so they don’t tick-off the rightwing so much that they defeat some of the socialists who now run the EU!

It says Bulgaria has made progress but problems remain with asylum seekers’ access to food and health care, registration delays and risks of arbitrary detention.

You can see that my sympathies are with Bulgaria.  For more on Bulgaria’s “refugee crisis,” click here.

Photo is from this story at Top Conservative News.

 

Italy rescues 1,000 illegal migrants in 24 hours

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

What would we do without readers who help us do our work by finding good stories for us?  Again, ‘pungentpeppers’ has been busy reading.

Pretty much the same story we’ve been reporting for years except, of course, the pace has increased and the number of foundering boats and passengers seems to be growing exponentially.   I guess they didn’t hear about the 300 plus who drowned only a few months ago.

Ferrying migrants to Italian shores. AFP Photo

From The Telegraph:

 The Italian navy has rescued more than 1,000 migrants in the 24 hours to Friday from boats trying to reach Europe, as an immigration crisis that killed hundreds in the last year showed no signs of easing.

Navy helicopters spotted four overcrowded boats struggling to stay afloat south of Sicily on Thursday and ships were sent to save them, the navy said in a statement.

The 823 men, women and children aboard the four vessels were from countries including Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq and Tunisia.

The navy also rescued 233 migrants from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Zambia, Mali and Pakistan in a separate operation and took them to a port near Syracuse on Sicily’s eastern coast.

[….]

Over the past two decades, Italy, Greece and the Mediterranean island of Malta have the brunt of the migrant flows and have urged a coordinated European Union response.

Type ‘Malta’ into our search function and learn about how the Bush Administration, and now the Obama Administration, have helped make Malta a magnet for illegal aliens hoping to get a ticket to America as we have turned hundreds of mostly Somali economic migrants to Malta into legitimate refugees for America.