Tag: Human Rights First

Human Rights First: US should commit next week to taking more Syrian refugees

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Duncan Breen, Senior Associate, Refugee Protection Program at Human Rights First says at next week’s meeting of foreign ministers in Geneva that the US should make a commitment to resettle more Syrians and to make it easier for them to get around “bars to protection under U.S. immigration law” (code for reduce security screening).

Breen, center, at release of HIAS report on LGBTI refugees in May

Here is a portion of the press release at Human Rights First:

Next week in Geneva, foreign ministers will convene to discuss ways to support Syria’s neighbors as they host hundreds of thousands of refugees. The United States has contributed significant resources to help address the humanitarian crisis, far more than any other nation. This gives the U.S. delegation, led by Deputy Secretary Bill Burns, even greater standing to use this high-level meeting to:  1) advocate strongly for access to protection for Syrian refugees; 2) encourage other donors to increase their contributions to assist Syrian refugees; and 3) make a firm commitment to increase its own resettlement of Syrian refugees to the United States.

[….]

The United States has the world’s largest refugee resettlement program. But it is resettling very few refugees from Syria at present.  The United States should use the opportunity of next week’s meeting to announce a commitment to significantly increase the numbers of Syrian refugees it will accept through its resettlement program. At the U.N. General Assembly this week, Lebanese President Sleiman asked for help beyond financial assistance and stressed the need “to search for ways to share the burdens and numbers among States.” As the UNHCR steps up its efforts to identify the most vulnerable Syrian refugees for resettlement, the United States should make clear its commitment to resettling increasing numbers of Syrian refugees and take steps to proactively address potential bars to protection under U.S. immigration law.

How about we fill up that UN camp at Al-Azraq first!

Photo is from this panel discussion.

Human Rights Gang not happy with Senator Grassley

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Senator Grassley has submitted amendments to the Gang of Eight plus Grover bill (S.744) regarding the loosening of our already pretty loose asylum system (remember Boston way back last month before all the latest crises of the Obama Administration have taken everyone’s eyes from it).  Grassley wants to dump some proposed provisions in the bill that will give more asylum seekers more time and an easier process to apply.

Human Rights First and its gang at the Refugee Council USA (lobbying arm for refugee contractors) are ginning up opposition to Grassley.

See all amendments here.

Here is the latest from the “humanitarians:”

Last week members of the Senate Judiciary Committee filed potential amendments to the bipartisan immigration bill (S. 744) negotiated by the “Gang of 8” – Senators Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio and Charles Schumer.  Among the proposed amendments are two sponsored by Senator Grassley (Grassley 27 and Grassley 52) that would eliminate or substantially delay two targeted reforms to the U.S. asylum system included in the bipartisan bill:  section 3401 which would eliminate a filing deadline bar that prevents genuine refugees from receiving US asylum; and section 3404 which authorizes some asylum cases to be resolved through a full asylum office interview conducted by trained Department of Homeland Security –U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS) asylum officers.

Refugee Council USA, a coalition of faith based and other organizations (including Human Rights First) ,  sent a letter on the amendments to the Senate Judiciary Committee members specifically asking them to oppose Grassley 27 and Grassley 52 as well as other amendments that would impact refugees and asylum seekers.

Grassley wants to delay changing the asylum program until he has a full accounting of what went wrong with our asylum system in Boston.  Sounds reasonable to me.  We don’t need any more murdering welfare moochers like the Tsarnaev family.

One of Senator Grassley’s amendments seeks to delay the reforms outlined in the Gang of 8 bill until a year after the Director of National Intelligence submits to Congress reports, and sub-reports, on the government’s handling of the Boston Marathon bombing.   The Boston bombing was a tragedy, and the government should certainly take steps to address and prevent another attack.  There is no reason to use the Boston tragedy to derail or delay reforms to strengthen the asylum system.

I’ll add Grassley’s office to my list of Hill visits today.  I want them to strip out all references to refugees and asylum from the Gang’s bill until there are full hearings on the whole refugee program.  Maybe we have to go back and re-write the Refugee Resettlement Act of 1980.

Senator Leahy, cheered on by the “human rights” industry, introduces bill (again) to get more refugees into US

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Senators Levin and Leahy first introducing their bill in 2010.

Before you read latest news about Senator Patrick Leahy’s bill, be sure to check out my previous post, here, about the 138 million migrants worldwide who want to get into the US.

And, I just saw more incredible information from VDARE about how one liberal Brit has figured out that letting the world into the UK was a huge mistake!

Here is Human Rights First gushing over the Refugee Protection Act of 2013  (what about the American worker protection act?).  The Human Rights gang wants this bill focused mostly on making asylum easier to obtain, to get more money for the contractors, and to become part of so-called “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Washington, D.C. – Human Rights First welcomes the introduction of the Refugee Protection Act of 2013, legislation the group notes would repair many of the most severe problems in the U.S. asylum and refugee systems and strengthen the U.S. commitment to providing refuge to victims of religious, political, ethnic and other forms of persecution. The group notes that the bill should be included in the final immigration reform package expected to emerge this year. Notably, like the president’s immigration reform principles, this bill eliminates the asylum filing deadline and makes improvements to our nation’s immigration courts.

Eleanor Acer: We have a badly damaged asylum system.  Millions of vulnerable refugees can’t get into US, and need more social services when they do!

“Immigration reform offers an important opportunity to consider and enact the Refugee Protection Act.  Refugee protection is an essential element of U.S. immigration policy, and  despite this country’s strong tradition of protecting refugees from persecution, a barrage of laws, policies and practices have badly damaged our asylum system over the years,” said Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer. “These flaws have led the United States to deny its protection to refugees who have fled from serious political, religious and other forms of persecution. The Refugee Protection Act would address many of these concerns and help restore our nation’s commitment to protecting vulnerable refugees.” The bill was also introduced in the 112th and 111th Congresses.

The bill to get more refugees through the screening process and to make it easier for asylum seekers to be granted asylum is sponsored by the following Senators and Members of Congress—the list is no surprise!   Ms. Acer continues:

 The Refugee Protection Act of 2013 is championed in the Senate by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and co-sponsored by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)  introduced a companion bill in the House that is co-sponsored by Representatives John Conyers (D-MI), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

Check out the 77-page bill here and note that Section 23 would authorize more $$$ for the contractors.  Yikes!  After a quick scan, I recommend that everyone interested in how the refugee program is being (mis)managed better read this bill.  With Congress’s penchant for creating thousand-page bills which no one reads, this could easily be incorporated into a massive “comprehensive immigration reform” bill.