Tag: Buffalo

Buffalo, NY refugee contractors jumping for joy as refugee arrivals pick up

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

…and they seem especially pleased to announce that they are getting them from those terror-producing countries—a flow that the Trump Administration was trying to curtail.
From Buffalo News:

WASHINGTON – President Trump’s promise to cut in half the number of refugees coming to America – and therefore Buffalo – has turned into a dream unfulfilled.

Buffalo offers proof of it. State Department figures show the city welcomed 376 new refugees between Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration and last Wednesday. That’s a 32 percent reduction from the 554 who arrived a year before, but nothing close to a 50 percent reduction.

Yippee! More refugees coming to Buffalo from Africa and the Middle East. Ms. Scott works for a subcontractor of Church World Service. http://www.jersbuffalo.org/index.php/news/entries/journeys_end_refugee_services_announces_new_executive_director

What’s more, 149 of those new arrivals come from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan or Syria – nations subject to Trump’s travel ban before the federal courts ruled it was unconstitutional.

And now, the city’s refugee resettlement agencies are gearing up for a growing wave of refugees under a new State Department announcement that further undercuts Trump’s promise.

“We had a very busy May, and we will have a very busy June,” said Karen Andolina Scott, executive director of Journey’s End Refugee Services, one of Buffalo’s four refugee resettlement agencies.***

Church World Service, the national refugee agency affiliated with Journey’s End, “was able to send us more people than we thought,” Scott added.

[….]

Now Buffalo stands poised to welcome a growing number of refugees in the next few months. That’s because the State Department last month quietly abandoned the weekly refugee admission quotas that had been in place earlier in the year.

[I’m highlighting this (above) because I have readers who still don’t believe this happened.—ed]

Congress fully-funded refugee resettlement for the remainder of FY17 and Trump signed it!

Budgetary constraints previously limited the number of refugees coming to America in the current fiscal year. But a State Department spokesman said the temporary budget bill that Trump signed on May 5, which funds the government through Sept. 30, includes full funding for the nation’s refugee resettlement program.

That returns the annual cap for refugees coming to America the same as the one Obama set: 110,000 for the year ending Sept. 30.  [This part is still up in the air, however, a reminder that this number—110,000—is a ceiling not a target!—ed]

Refugee resettlement advocates doubt the nation will receive that number. They said it appears the Department of Homeland Security, which vets prospective refugees, slowed down that process in several countries in wake of Trump’s earlier actions, which in turn could slow refugee arrivals in the United States.

Still, local resettlement agencies expect the pace of new refugee arrivals to grow in the coming months.

Yippee! Their paying “clients” are arriving!
More here.
I have a fairly large archive on Buffalo (here) and its problems (similar to Utica).
*** Go here for the list (not sure if it is complete) of resettlement contractors working near you.

Update:  Refugee admissions picking up in Twin Falls, Idaho too!  See here.

 

Overloaded Buffalo, NY running out of housing for refugees; bring in prefabs?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update September 9th: Be sure to see Daniel Greenfield at Frontpage magazine on ‘The Invasion of Buffalo’ here.
So what else is new.  We told you here just the other day that Missoula, MT, which is getting its first refugees, can’t even find housing for the first arrivals.
Obama’s resettlement contractors are plowing ahead nevertheless trying to hit the 85,000 mark for this fiscal year (see here).  I wonder does the US State Department give them a pass on their contracts which require providing a properly-sized house or apartment so they can get those bodies in here before the bell tolls midnight on Sept. 30th?
And, what makes them think they will have housing for 200,000 next year when they can’t find it for 85,000 this year? (If your town is gleefully building low income housing, be ready for refugees!)
Buffalo has been a long-established refugee site but gee, not enough affordable housing so now some are suggesting bringing in prefabricated housing—can you say refugee camp!
From WIVB Buffalo:

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The number of refugees coming to Buffalo continues to grow. In 2016, more than 1,000 refugees have been resettled in the Queen City, according to city officials.

screenshot-8
With 20,000 refugees (most are on food stamps) in the city of Buffalo, it is no surprise that food stamp fraud has developed as a subsidiary industry and is rampant as we saw in this recent story. These women are angry that their Muslim husband and father was arrested for allegedly scamming you out of $2 million. Diversity is so beautiful! https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2016/09/02/buffalony-another-food-stamp-fraud-bust-flipping-the-bird-to-america/

The growth has rejuvenated the West Side but now resettlement agencies are struggling to find housing.

“If I had 10 more multi family income properties in this neighborhood, I’d fill every one of them,” said Michael Maywalt, owner of Maywalt Realty. “The demand is very, very strong for additional refugee families to come and be with folks from their own countries.”

[….]

“In this neighborhood there’s a high concentration of Iraqi families, Burma, Nepal and more recently from Afghanistan and Syria,” said Maywalt.

He said his company is starting to look outside of Blackrock to expand, as they work to accommodate the growing number of refugees coming to Buffalo.

City officials told News 4 there are now about 20,000 refugees living in the city.

“We need more good quality housing stock and it’s not necessarily available for an affordable price in the locations that we’re looking,” said Denise Beehag, Director of Refugee Resettlement for International Institute. [This is another USCRI subcontractor—Lavinia Limon—ed]

The US State Department allots $2025 per head (per refugee) and here we see that USCRI keeps as much as $1100 of it for their office overhead and staff salaries. (The contractors get other money from HHS.)

Beehag said after administrative costs are taken out only about $925- $1,125 is actually available for them to use towards rent, the security deposit, furniture, clothing and other necessities.

[….]

Ozay [a local college professor] says there could be an opportunity for developers to work with resettlement agencies to apply for state or preservation grants to help create affordable housing.

Another idea they came up with was bringing in prefabricated houses.

“There’s actually a larger sort of affordable housing need in the city and we thought this could be a tool to facilitate this need as well,” said Ozay.

Continue here.
For our complete archive on Buffalo, click here.  I recommend some local reporters use this archive for a more complete picture of what has happened with Buffalo over the years.

In refugee-saturated Buffalo, NY, violence leaves Burmese refugee paralyzed

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is a story we have written before, not the specific refugee nor the specific city, but the story about violence perpetrated against refugees as the resettlement contractors overload poor neighborhoods with third world refugees (many of whom have lived protected lives in UN camps) who don’t know how to live among thugs who are not at all moved by the multi-culti myth that diversity brings strength.

There are too many diverse ethnic groups being dumped into cities across the country by Federal resettlement contractors (they call themselves VOLAGs. They are anything but Voluntary!) and the US State Department where the ‘humanitarians’ apparently believe that a melting pot still exists, melting will happen, and everyone will live happily ever after.

See our many posts on problems in Buffalo, NY, here.

By the way, Buffalo political leaders think the many immigrants are going to save their city.  But, be sure to check out what is happening in another New York city—Utica—-the town that “loves refugees” where the city has sued the state of New York for more tax payer funding as its school system is deteriorating due to a large influx of needy children from the third world.   Ten years ago, the UNHCR gave Utica the title and used their report on Utica as propaganda around the country to convince other towns and cities to “welcome” refugees.

From the Buffalo News:

Only after laborious therapy has the Burmese immigrant of Karen ethnicity regained movement in his right arm. The comfortable room is not in a hotel, but in Terrace View nursing home near Erie County Medical Center. Wah has been hospitalized since a mugging last June left him paralyzed, a disheartening symbol of the assaults and break-ins afflicting the immigrant population on Buffalo’s West Side.

Burmese refugee left paralyzed after beating in Buffalo.

The county executive last week celebrated the recent influx of immigrants, which has staunched the county’s three-decade population bleed. The other side of the immigrant story is K’Paw Wah. He was born and raised in a Thai refugee camp, after his parents fled from oppressive Burmese rulers. He and his two daughters four years ago followed his older brother to Buffalo.

Wah’s dream of freedom ended violently. Heading home from a West Side convenience store late one night, he was jumped by at least two men with, he recalled, “their faces covered.” The attackers, Wah told me in halting but clear English, threw him hard to the ground, breaking his neck.

Is your town considering “welcoming” refugees?

If so remember you will need more funding, more police, more translators, etc. etc.

Wah’s fate is the grimmest reminder of the fragility of the immigrant population. Buffalo’s West Side is the end point for Burmese, Somalis, Burundi and other newcomers. Circumstances render them vulnerable and tough to protect. Language barriers, a lack of translators and a distrust of police related to abuse in their homeland contribute to their problems. Critics say police and city officials have been slow to respond to the challenge. Dozens of frustrated Burmese went public with their complaints this month at a Common Council meeting.

Lisa Strand said similar community outreaches the past several months have spurred good-faith efforts from police.

“There’s recently been a lot of progress,” said Strand, attorney for Buffalo’s Legal Aid Bureau. “But the police need a formal translator-access plan and to grasp the larger scope of this.”

Who is responsible for overloading Buffalo with refugees?

Remember that we told you last week that Lutheran Social Service is responsible for the Somalis in St. Cloud, well, whew! look at this! We have five of the nine major contractors divvying up what must be a large flow of refugees to Buffalo (and LOL! I bet they each fight to keep their number of paying ‘clients’ up).  From the very handy US State Department list of subcontractors with offices in 180 or so US cities:

CWS (Church World Service)
NY-CWS-07: Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc
Address:
Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214-2152
Phone:
716-882-4963

DFMS (Episcopal Migration Ministries has changed its name to: Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America)
NY-DFMS-07: Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc
Address:
2459 Main Street, Suite 317
Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone:
716-882-4963

HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society which recently dropped the ‘Hebrew’ from its name!)
NY-HIAS-06: Jewish Family Service Of Buffalo And Erie County
Address:
70 Barker Street
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone:
716-883-1914

USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops)
NY-USCCB-02: Refugee Assistance Program Catholic Charities
Address:
20 Herkimer Street
Buffalo, NY 14213
Phone:
716-842-0270

USCRI (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants)
NY-USCRI-02: International Institute Of Buffalo, Inc.
Address:
864 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone:
716-883-1900

Buffalo non-profit running out of federal/local $$$ may close its doors

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Not all supposed refugee resettlement agencies are in the orbit of the nine major federal contractors that monopolize refugee placement in America or they wouldn’t be running out of money.

Close-reading of this article tells us that Vive Inc. in Buffalo, NY is taking care of asylum seekers and other migrants who are in legal limbo.  They haven’t been contracted by the feds and therefore they can’t raise enough cash to stay in the black.

This is an important point:  there would be a smaller number of migrants arriving in the US if they had to depend on private charity and/or finding work.  Your tax dollars grease the skids of the migrant flow into the US.

From Buffalo News  (Hat tip: ‘pungentpeppers’):

Vive Inc. Executive Director Angela Jordan-Mosely running out of money. Photo: http://www.buffalonews.com/life-arts/people-talk/people-talk-angela-jordan-mosely-20140330

The refugee resettlement organization Vive Inc. is contacting past and present supporters with an urgent plea for help. If financial support is not forthcoming, the message says, outlook is bleak. “We are facing the harsh reality of closing our doors,” the message states.

An email from Vive Executive Director Angela Jordan-Mosely this week describes the situation at the nonprofit as “desperate.” Vive celebrated 30 years of operation in March, but recent years have seen funding cuts by the county and federal government. The losses are compounded by delays in legal proceedings to get the immigrants Vive serves permanently settled.

“What used to take days now takes months or even years, leaving hundreds of refugees in limbo,” Jorden-Mosely writes.

The result is a significant increase in the length of time individuals and families stay with Vive at its Wyoming Avenue location and a need for the organization to reconsider how it can achieve its mission of helping international refugees build new lives.

Former Amherst Council Member Shelly Schratz, a Vive volunteer, said that the uncertain status makes it hard for the refugees to contribute to their own support.

“Many of these people want to work, but there are matters of transportation and language, and they don’t have a Social Security card yet,” Schratz said. “We have a business (Bing’s restaurant), but you can’t hire someone who isn’t legal yet.”

Schratz said that, in trying to get financial support, Vive may be hampered by misunderstandings about its clients. The refugees it serves arrived in the United States legally, often having received asylum or temporary residency while they work on permanent status in this country or Canada. Most live at Vive while their cases work through the legal system.

Asylum seekers, of course, have gotten into the US through various means—either as illegal aliens who came across our borders by land, sea or air, or came in on a visa of some sort and have over-stayed.  Once granted asylum they can work and all of the welfare goodies other ‘refugees’ get are available to them.   Others that Vive serves are aliens on Temporary Protected Status who are planning on staying no matter what.  These are not ‘refugees’ the US State Department has brought in to the US.

Vive Inc. got its start in illegal Sanctuary Movement

Check out Vive Inc’s history, here.  Originally called Vive La Casa, it sure looks like they got their start in the Sanctuary Movement in the early 1980’s  (at the same time the notorious CASA de Maryland got its start) where Leftwing churches helped illegal Central Americans, including Sandinistas, get into the US and hid them in their “sanctuaries.”   I guess Buffalo’s Casa didn’t get as firmly entrenched with the politicians who dole out the cashola as did CASA de Maryland.

Check out our many posts on multi-culty Buffalo here.

US State Department visit to Buffalo tells me there must be a problem there

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Whenever the US State Department sends out a representative to praise a local community (and spin the media) about their good work in resettling refugees, I suspect something is going horribly wrong.  In fact, Buffalo has graced our pages with many problems over the years.

Here is one post from May of 2012 where we learned that the Christian and Jewish populations of that part of New York are declining as the Muslim population increases through refugee resettlement.  We began that post with this:

US State Department rep Henshaw: Buffalo is “fantastic”

Ho hum, as the US Conference of Catholic Bishops asks the US State Department for more Muslims to resettle in your towns and cities, the number of Catholics and Jews are declining in “welcoming” Buffalo.

[If you are interested, here is a database to help you figure out who is coming to your town.]

Before reading on, you might want to check our archives on Buffalo here.  Wow!  We have a lot of stories from Buffalo! It was just two weeks ago we read about the Somali father who beat his young son to death in Buffalo over homework.

Here is the glowing report yesterday from Buffalo’s WBFO:

Given the high number of refugees the federal government has helped resettle in Buffalo, officials with the U.S. State Department were in town this week to assess the program.

Read and listen yourself to Simon Henshaw, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration tell us about how immigrants are rebuilding the economically distressed community.   Then here is Henshaw gushing about the culturally diverse school system (is that where the problem is?).

“I don’t remember how many different nationalities they said, but it was 20-30 different nationalities.
We watched the kids leaving the school all in different dresses, all with different ethnicity. And it was just so great to meet the leadership of the school…and listen how they’re integrating, how they’re working, how they’re maintaining the cultures of the different students that are there and also making them apart of their community,” said Henshaw.

If anyone sees more recent news from “welcoming” Buffalo, please send it my way.   I’m wondering if Buffalo has signaled that they need a break like so many other cities?