Tag: Indiana

Bloomington, Indiana: Plans for new resettlement site on hold; federal money drying up

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

“We in Bloomington and groups all throughout the United States are waiting for the new budget to come out. Like a lot of vulnerable populations, we will have to see how much funding will be allocated.”

(Refugee promoter Diane Legomsky)

 
This is the first in what I expect to be many reports from controversial potential refugee resettlement sites that the Obama State Department was attempting to get open quickly.  Why? Because actions by Congress to limit funding in the appropriations process are causing the DOS and the ORR to start pulling in the reins on new sites.

bloomington-forum
US STATE DEPT. NO-SHOW! More than 100 people came out to a refugee forum in Bloomington, Indiana in early November. Experts DON BARNETT and JIM SIMPSON debated one lonely pro-refugee immigration lawyer, when Barbara Day, representing the US State Department, was a no-show and purportedly discouraged refugee agencies in the state from participating as well. Photo and story from Bloomington, here: http://www.idsnews.com/article/2016/11/locals-discuss-concerns-for-refugee-families

Elections have consequences and the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) may be changed beginning January 21, 2017 (the day after inauguration day).
We expect the present political appointees, Anne Richard at the Dept. of State and Bob Carey at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS) to be job hunting soon if they aren’t already. Indeed, they could go back (revolving door!) to the ‘non-profit’ resettlement contractor they both came from—the  International Rescue Committee.
Showing once again the impact that federal funding (or the lack of it!) has on local resettlement offices, the announcement that the planned program is now on hold for Bloomington, IN was reported yesterday at the Herald Times (emphasis is mine):

The effort to resettle refugees in Bloomington has been put on hold as local and national aid organizations await details of the incoming presidential administration’s 2017 budget plans.

The announcement came Saturday from Bloomington Refugee Support Network chairwoman Diane Legomsky, who said while the organization is no longer expecting refugees to arrive this spring, she is confident this is just a delay of the inevitable.

“We in Bloomington and groups all throughout the United States are waiting for the new budget to come out. Like a lot of vulnerable populations, we will have to see how much funding will be allocated. However, this is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when.’” Legomsky said. “We certainly anticipate that resettlement will be happening here; it just might be in late 2017 or in 2018.”

The State Department has been clear that it considers Bloomington an ideal resettlement city: In addition to being extremely welcoming, it is an exceptionally well-resourced city, able to resettle and give support to refugees in a very cost-effective way. Any budgeting decisions about resettlement are based on national, rather than state or local, considerations, Legomsky said.

[….]

Local efforts to welcome refugees to Bloomington have sparked opposition from the Grassroots Conservative political group, which has raised concerns at public forums about safety and potential cost to host communities.

Earlier this month, Congress passed a continuing spending resolution to fund the federal government through April 28, providing an opportunity for the new administration to put its imprint on the 2017 budget. [Will Trump severely restrict federal funding in the second half of FY2017?—ed]

President-elect Donald Trump was critical of the Syrian resettlement program, in particular, during his recent presidential campaign, and he called for suspension of immigration from areas of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism until “extreme vetting” measures could be put in place.

The law is very clear on this last point, the President of the United States can stop immigration from any region of the world he wishes.
More here (but warning this requires a paid subscription).
One commenter said that local millionaire developers (who have empty apartments) will be disappointed! Remember refugee resettlement is big business!  Federal dollars (your money) grease the skids.
Look for more from me going forward about the federal Budget and Appropriations process in the new year.

Appeals court rules on Syrian refugees: states cannot block their resettlement…

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

…..if the state is taking federal money for refugee resettlement.
(That is the hook, always the hook, states take federal money and then lose their states’ rights!)

U.S. Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) arrives for a news conference about their goal of permanently extending Bush-era tax rates at the Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S. on December 2, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Vice Presidential nominee and Indiana Governor Mike Pence loses Appeals case on Syrian refugee resettlement on eve of VP debate. What a timing coincidence? Come to think of it, maybe Pence can lead Kaine into a trap tonight and ask Kaine how many Syrians he and Hillary want to admit to the US.

The lesson in this decision is that if you, the citizens of any state, want to control admission to your state of refugees being placed there by the US government, you have to either work to scrap or reform the Refugee Act of 1980 (long term) or, you have to work right now to limit federal spending for the program (so fewer refugees can be admitted in the first place).
Monumental task ahead….
Both solutions involve convincing a Congress where the Republican leadership is working against you with the help of most of your own representatives, the so-called religious charities, big greedy-for-cheap-labor global corporations, and the US Chamber of Commerce.
A political solution!
There are still some legal avenues (where is the Tennessee case?) that need to be attempted, but hanging your hat on some legal decision years down the road strikes me as an avoidance measure. Time to tackle your Congressmen and US Senators!
Here is the news from a conservative (we are told) Appeals Court (story posted by Nina Totenberg of NPR):

A federal appeals court panel Monday blocked Indiana Gov. and Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s attempt to keep Syrian refugees out of Indiana.

The court upheld a lower court judge in barring Pence from interfering with the distribution of federal funds to resettle Syrian refugees in his state. The appeals court panel said that federal law bars discrimination based on nationality.

The three-judge panel that issued the ruling is an all-star group of conservative judges, including one of the judges on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

In a unanimous opinion, the appeals court said Gov. Pence acted illegally in accepting federal money for refugee resettlement and then refusing to use that money to aid Syrian refugees.

The panel rejected Pence’s argument that terrorists are posing as Syrian refugees to gain entry into the U.S., calling it a “nightmare speculation” based on no evidence. Indeed, the court said, the state presented no evidence that any Syrian refugee had been involved in a terrorist act in the U.S.

The court added that resettlement of persecuted refugees is a federal responsibility under the 1980 Refugee Act, which authorizes the president*** to determine, on the basis of “humanitarian concerns or … the national interest,” how many refugees to admit each year. In 2016, President Obama set the number at 85,000, including 10,000 Syrians.

It is about the money!
When Congress returns in November they will have to finish and approve the federal budget for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year (it began Oct. 1, this past Saturday). Congress will either fully fund Obama’s 110,000 refugee plan for 2017 or it won’t appropriate enough of your money for the full 110,000.  It is that simple.
For new readers, I don’t want to go too deep in the weeds, but Texas withdrawing from the program last week, is only a stop gap measure because the federal government will assign a non-profit refugee contractor to run the program. Sure, they will be in chaos for a couple of months there, but it will eventually mean that Texas will be just like all the other Wilson-Fish states. (You are going to have to search RRW for ‘Wilson-Fish’ because I want to move on to other things this morning).
***No easy outs, only two things to save us—Trump is elected and you work your butts off to change Congress on this issue.
LOL! Here comes ‘Mom for Trump’ as promised!

Ann, could you tell all your readers on a daily basis to call our useless Congress @ 202 224 3121 and have them say DEFUND REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM. I call daily and if enough of us do so, we can make a difference.

Four cases of active TB reported in refugees in Indiana!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

TB AlertYikes! Literally moments after posting my previous post on Tuberculosis in the US refugee population, up pops another shocking report from Michael Patrick Leahy at Breitbart with the news that yes, indeed, there is active TB in the refugee community (at least in Indiana!).
Just a reminder, in 2007, it was news from Indiana, from Ft. Wayne to be exact, that alarmed me and was part of the inspiration for me to continue writing this blog.  See that original post here (Ft. Wayne freaking out!).
Now to Breitbart:

Four refugees sent to Indiana by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2015 were diagnosed with active tuberculosis once they arrived in the Hoosier State, according to the Indiana Department of Health.

Active tuberculosis (TB) is infectious, while so-called “latent TB” is not infectious. But 10 percent of those infected with latent TB develop active infectious TB.

In 2015, almost 400 migrants with latent TB settled in Indiana, according to state records. The state’s TB rate had declined for the 54 years up to 2010, but it now increasing as more migrants settle in the state.

Continue here.  You don’t want to miss this!
Be sure to note the large percentage of refugees who arrived in the state and were never health-screened at all after arriving.

Indiana: Various social justice/peace groups 'welcome' Syrian Muslims to live among them

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

There is nothing special about this news and this ‘march’ last week in Indiana to protest the governor’s concern about unvetted Syrian Muslims coming to live in Indiana, but am posting it because I suspect such demonstrations are going on around the country.  And, you should know what they are saying.
As we have learned that 99% of the Syrians entering the US so far this fiscal year are Sunni Muslims apparently that doesn’t concern the ‘peace’ people.
 

Indiana march
March to welcome Syrian Muslims to Indiana. Photo: Alex Kumar | Staff Photographer http://www.purdueexponent.org/features/article_2eefc460-5f92-524a-a54f-60ed2cdc49a1.html?mode=image&photo=0

 
Here is the story at the Purdue Exponent:

On Friday, undergraduate students, graduate students and citizens from Lafayette and West Lafayette gathered in the Purdue Memorial Mall to show their support for Syrian refugees.

The event was organized by the Lafayette chapter of Indiana Moral Mondays, Purdue Student Justice Coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine at Purdue and the Lafayette Area Peace Coalition.

“I believe that letting Syrian refugees in is the right decision,” said Pittayut Phonboon, a sophomore in the College of Engineering. “From a humanitarian standpoint and looking at the United States’ interest in terms of foreign policy, this is the best decision to make.”

Continue reading here.
You might want to visit this post we wrote back in March where a federally-funded resettlement agency working in Indiana says it’s a good state in which to resettle refugees because a leading Muslim Brotherhood organization has its headquarters there.  See also, here, where the ACLU sued Governor Pence.

If you live in Indiana, and don’t want more refugees resettled there, you need to let the governor know you support him to counter activists like these.

I’ll bet a buck that even after the masscre in San Bernardino by Sunni Muslims that these marchers fear global warming more than their potential new neighbors.

Indiana: ACLU files lawsuit against governor on behalf of resettlement contractor over Syrians

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is news from the day before Thanksgiving and would not have caught my eye except for the fact that the resettlement contractor—Exodus Refugee Immigration—was the subject of a post here earlier this year when they said they would welcome Syrians to Indianapolis because a major Muslim Brotherhood organization was located nearby!

isna-islamic-society-of-north-america-IP
Islamic Society of North America is headquartered in Indiana. Refugee contractor cites that piece of information to justify bringing Syrian refugees to the state. Photo: http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/islamic-society-north-america-isna

First, here is the story from the Associated Press about the lawsuit:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A lawsuit challenging the Indiana governor’s decision to stop state agencies from helping resettle Syrian refugees alleges that the action wrongly targets the refugees based on their nationality and violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the federal lawsuit Monday night on behalf of Indianapolis-based nonprofit Exodus Refugee Immigration. It accuses Gov. Mike Pence of accepting refugees to Indiana from other countries but not from Syria.

The first-term Republican governor objected to plans for refugees to arrive in Indiana following the attacks in Paris. Five days after the Nov. 13 attacks, a family that had fled war-torn Syria was diverted from Indianapolis to Connecticut when Pence ordered state agencies to halt resettlement activities.

The ACLU of Indiana filed a motion Tuesday asking a federal judge to put a temporary hold on Pence’s directive that state agencies stop helping with the resettlement of Syrian refugees by using federal money to provide services such as housing and medical care.

Continue reading here.
It’s going to be interesting to see if the governor has any power.  I wonder what would happen if Pence did not single out the Syrians and instead said Indiana wouldn’t take any refugees from anywhere—now that would be fun to see!
Expect to see more lawsuits like this one against the governors.

Here is what I said back in March about this resettlement contractor—Exodus Refugee Immigration:

This is a really informative news report from reporter Gretchen Frazee at Indiana Public Media.  The story begins with a warm introduction to a Syrian family which has just arrived in Indianapolis with the help of federal resettlement contractor Exodus Refugee Immigration which is a subcontractor of both Church World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries (two of the big nine contractors).

Muslim Brotherhood organization nearby!

We are told that one reason Indianapolis was chosen is that the Islamic Society of North America is nearby (ahhhhh!)

Carleen Miller, Executive Director of Exodus Refugee Immigration
Carleen Miller, Executive Director Exodus Refugee Immigration: Indiana is a good place because Muslim Brotherhood organization is headquartered here. “This year the number will be small…then their relatives will come and then their relatives will come.”

From Indiana Public Media:

The State Department normally sends refugees to cities where they have friends or family. But Lababidi and Alhamoud didn’t know anyone in the U.S., so the government used a kind of formula to determine which location had the resources to best meet their needs.  The department determined that place was Indiana.  [I sure would like to see this formula!—ed]

“The main thing is that refugees go to a place that’s welcoming, that has a cost of living they can survive in, that has employment and opportunities,” says Carleen Miller, the executive director of Exodus Refugee Immigration, which is handling Syrian families’ resettlement in Indianapolis.

She points out that the Islamic Society of North America is based just outside of Indianapolis in Plainfield. There is also a mosque which many Syrians attend in Fishers and a group of Christian Syrians at a nearby church.

“There are people who are interested in Syrians in our city, so it makes for a good environment for them to be successful,” Miller says.

Not the first time the ACLU is working with a federal resettlement contractor. 

Way back in July 2007, our first month in existence, we reported on a lawsuit in Tennessee where a resettlement contractor (also affiliated with Church World Service) filed a lawsuit with the ACLU (and CAIR) so the resettlement contractor would not have to give information to the FBI about the location of some missing Iraqi refugees.  Of course, the issue is different, but shows the willingness of the ACLU to join forces with a federal resettlement contractor, a ‘church’ group which is a subcontractor of Church World Service.
I’ve been wondering all these last 8 years why the ACLU isn’t interested in suing the federal “church” contractors over the separation of church and state!