Tag: Iraq

State Department Admits Massive Fraud in Iraqi Refugee Program

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We reported that an investigation was underway, here in February:

Biden Admin Halts Special Refugee Program for Iraqis Due to Fraud Bust

However, now the international corporate media is admitting it.

But, you need to know that this isn’t the first and won’t be the last admission that fraud is rampant in the US Refugee Admissions Program. 

Longtime readers may remember the moratorium on Somalis entering the US that began back in 2008 when the State Department uncovered fraud in the family reunification program—oopsy the Somalis claiming to be family members weren’t even kissing cousins.

I followed that scam investigation:

State Department: Possibly tens of thousands of Somalis in the US illegally

In 2007, I first told readers about how Ted Kennedy secretively tacked the Special Iraqi program onto a must-pass Defense Authorization bill in the dark of night.

How many Iraqi refugees will be resettled in Hyannisport?

So here we are nearly 50,000 Iraqis later…

From Reuters this morning just in time for UN-designated World Refugee Day on Sunday:

Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) one of nine federal resettlement contractors*** is quoted as saying:

“Resettlement is a very scarce and valuable and lifesaving commodity,” said Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, a refugee resettlement agency.

“People … are going to do anything they can to access it.”

 

EXCLUSIVE U.S. suspects 4,000 cases of fraud in Iraqi refugee program -documents

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) – U.S. authorities pursuing a sweeping fraud investigation suspect some 4,000 Iraqis of filing fraudulent applications for resettlement in the United States as refugees, and they are re-examining cases involving more than 104,000 others, according to State Department reports reviewed by Reuters.

More than 500 Iraqis already admitted as refugees have been implicated in the alleged fraud and could be deported or stripped of their U.S. citizenship, according to one document sent to members of Congress. It said there was “no indication to date that any of these 500+ individuals have ties to terrorism.”

The probe – one of the biggest into refugee program fraud in recent history – is fueling reservations among some in Joe Biden’s administration as they debate whether to create a similar program to assist Afghan refugees as American troops withdraw after 20 years of war, U.S. officials told Reuters.

The reports show the investigation is more far-reaching and serious than U.S. officials have disclosed since announcing in January a 90-day freeze of the Iraqi “Direct Access” refugee program. The suspension, which in April was extended indefinitely by the State Department, followed the unsealing of an indictment accusing three foreign nationals of fraud, records theft and money laundering.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the scope of the investigation and internal government deliberations, but said the fraud scheme did not affect security vetting of refugees.

“The discovery, investigation, and prosecution of individuals involved in the scheme demonstrated the U.S. government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the program while upholding our humanitarian tradition,” the spokesperson said. “Those who would seek to take advantage of America’s generosity in welcoming the most vulnerable people will be held accountable.”

The spokesperson did not give a timeline for the investigation, but said the agency would work “as quickly and thoroughly as possible” to complete the review and make any necessary security changes.

Now this next part doesn’t make any sense to me because we are already bringing tens of thousands of Afghans here in the Special Immigrant Visa Program, the same one that the Iraqis used.

Here is one post on the Afghans from 2019:

Special Immigrant Visa Holders Coming in by the Thousands from Afghanistan, but Iraqi Flow has Slowed

You can see here that over 2,000 Afghans have been admitted in just the present fiscal year. How many did your state ‘welcome?’

Back to Reuters:

Under pressure from lawmakers of both parties and advocacy groups, the Biden administration is considering a similar program for Afghans facing Taliban retribution, according to a State Department official, a congressional aide and a lawmaker.

But there “are a lot of reservations” about expediting the resettlement of Afghans as refugees in the United States, said the State Department official, citing the problems with the Iraqi program.

There is much, much more so continue reading here.

I just took a trip down memory lane and see that I have a lot of posts on the Special Immigrant Visa Program and here is one in particular you should see.  Obama Judge rules that we aren’t bringing sufficient numbers of Iraqis and Afghans!

Judge Says Trump Admin Not Moving Fast Enough Bringing in Iraqi and Afghan Special Visa Holders

 

***In case you are new to RRW, here are the nine contractors that have monopolized all refugee distribution in the US for decades.

When President Trump reduced the number of regular refugees being admitted, he did continue the Iraq and Afghan special refugees program and the contractors, we learned, were surviving off their payouts to resettle them.

Foreigners First! is their motto.

Biden Admin Halts Special Refugee Program for Iraqis Due to Fraud Bust

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

“It is important to hold accountable those who would seek to defraud such programs, particularly when the crimes compromise our national security and public safety, when they impose such high costs on taxpayers…”

(Michael R. Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia)

Yes, you heard that right.  The Special Immigrant Visa Program for Iraqis (and their family members) who have supposedly helped us in Iraq was suspended as a result of that fraud bust we reported a few days ago.  I had missed this part of the story.

For inquiring minds, I have written many posts over the year about Iraqi Special Immigrant Visas.

From the Washington Times:

Feds stop special Iraqi refugee program after troubling DHS security breach

The State Department announced an emergency 90-day halt on admitting refugees from Iraq who helped the U.S. war effort after authorities revealed Friday that the program had been breached in a brazen conspiracy to steal refugees’ files.

Michael Sherwin

Acting Secretary of State Daniel B. Smith said they need to study the Iraqi program’s “vulnerabilities,” but insisted the broader refugee program is still safe.

His announcement came just hours after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging three people, including two Homeland Security employees accused of selling secret files on refugee applicants.

Prosecutors said the secret information, including applicants’ employment records, security checks, military history and their very personal accounts of persecution, were all able to be breached by the employees.

More here.

Just so you know, more Afghans are admitted in this special program that came into existence as a hidden rider by Senator Ted Kennedy to a Defense authorization bill.  The program did not go through regular order in Congress.

The three-year-old chart below does not show that tens of thousands more dependents came along with the SIV applicant.

https://www.statista.com/chart/12246/afghans-account-for-the-majority-of-special-immigrant-visas/

DOJ Announces Fraud Bust in US Refugee Admissions Program

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

 “It is important to hold accountable those who would seek to defraud such programs, particularly when the crimes compromise our national security and public safety, when they impose such high costs on taxpayers…”

(Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin for the District of Columbia)

 

Three foreign nationals from Russia, Iraq and Jordan have been charged in stealing information about refugees from the US State Department’s WRAPs data base.

I guess this might explain why the Trump State Department has removed much of the WRAPs data that was available to the public (throwing away the baby with the bath water).

And, this case might explain why the flow of Iraqis to your American towns had slowed dramatically late in the Trump administration.

As we have been saying for over a decade, the US Refugee Admissions Program is filled with fraud and corruption. These three are likely small fish in the overall scheme of things.

From Russia to the Middle East….

Department of Justice last week:

Three Foreign Nationals Charged with Conspiracy to Steal U.S. Government Records and Defraud U.S. Refugee Program

WASHINGTON – An indictment charging three defendants was unsealed in the District of Columbia today.

The indictment charges Aws Muwafaq Abduljabbar, 42; Haitham Isa Saado Sad, 42; and Olesya Leonidovna Krasilova, 43, with conspiracy to steal U.S. government records and to defraud the United States, theft of U.S. government records, and conspiracy to launder money, all related to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

[….]

According to the indictment, Sad was employed in Amman, Jordan from 2007 to 2016 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Krasilova held a similar position at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Part of their duties included processing applications for refugee resettlement in the United States through the USRAP.

The indictment charges that, from approximately February 2016 until at least April 2019, the three defendants, led by Abduljabbar, conspired to steal U.S. government records related to hundreds of USRAP applications. The records contained sensitive, non-public information about refugee applicants, their family members, their employment and military history, their accounts of persecution or fear of persecution, the results of security checks, and internal assessments by U.S. officials regarding applications.

[….]

As outlined in the indictment, the theft of USRAP records creates a number of risks to public safety and national security while imposing significant costs on the U.S. government, its taxpayers, and otherwise legitimate refugee applicants negatively impacted by the scheme. Defendants Abduljabbar and Sad were previously arrested and remain held without bond. Defendant Krasilova remains at large.

[….]

“Individuals like Ms. Krasilova and Mr. Sad are entrusted to protect the integrity of the U.S. immigration system and sensitive information vital to our national security interests,” said Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari. “The Office of Inspector General remains committed to aggressively investigating DHS employees who abuse their positions, betray the public trust, and conspire with persons such as Mr. Abduljabbar to defraud the United States.”

More here.

We will have more to say, but just wanted to get a preliminary story out.

For those with inquiring minds, here is the indictment itself.  (If this doesn’t open, send me a comment to this post and I’ll send it to you directly.)

We expect the Biden administration to be doing a better job of hiring people for this work than Obama did…  Ha!

And, I just came across this cutesy video created as Obama was leaving office explaining to potential refugees the process for admission to the US.  Thought you might find it interesting.

 

 

Five Months Into Fiscal Year, 6,273 Refugees Admitted; Big Story is Number of Afghans

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 5 Comments

As you all know by now the President submitted a refugee cap of 18,000 refugees to be admitted to the US between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020 (FY2020).  Five months into the fiscal year, the number stands at just over 6,000 according to the Refugee Processing Center.

But, not counted in that number is a special category of nationals from Afghanistan and Iraq known as Special Immigrant Visa holders who supposedly worked with us during those two long wars.  They are admitted with their families and are treated as refugees, but rarely mentioned.

(Don’t miss Daniel Greenfield’s piece on the “interpreter scam” where he did a deep dive into the numbers of Special Immigrant Visa holders, mostly Muslims, entering the US.)

Another 6,221 Afghans and 146 Iraqis were admitted (as SIVs) in this fiscal year (so far) bringing the total of those given all the benefits of refugee resettlement to 12,640 in the last five months.

I think we should get used to referring to the refugee numbers that way—adding together the regular refugees and the SIVs.

Here (below) is a map showing where the regular refugees were resettled.

The top ten ‘welcoming’ states are Washington, California, Texas, New York, Michigan, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Minnesota, and Ohio.

 

How many Muslims?

If you are wondering how many of the 6,273 regular refugees are Muslims, the number is 1,233. There is no Muslim ban!

Top Muslim sending countries so far this year:

Afghanistan: 514

Burma: 143

Iraq: 136

Syria: 115

Somalia: 80

Special Immigrant Visas…

So as I said above, so far this fiscal year we have admitted 6,221 Afghan SIVs.

In FY19 the number was 7,703, FY18 9,651 and in Trump’s first year FY17—a whopping 16,866!

There is no breakdown of religions for SIVs, but I suspect that virtually all of the Special Immigrant Visas are Muslims. If I am right and the vast majority are Muslims then 60% of the refugees/SIVs entering the US right now are Muslim.

There is also no map for SIVs, but there is a spreadsheet at the Refugee Processing Center.

See where most of the Afghan SIVs have been placed since FY07. Out of a total admissions number of 65,916. Five states have taken on most of the financial burden of these special ‘refugees.’

California: 24,307

Texas: 9,913

Virginia: 8,849

Washington: 3,806

Maryland: 3,506

Want to dig into these numbers yourself.  See my post Knowledge is Power IV on how to use the Refugee Processing Center.

 

Note to PayPal donors!  I want to thank all of you who send me donations for my work via PayPal. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, PayPal is making changes to their terms of service and I’ve decided to opt-out beginning on March 10, 2020.

Judge Says Trump Admin Not Moving Fast Enough Bringing in Iraqi and Afghan Special Visa Holders

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 19 Comments

SIVs are nationals of Iraq and Afghanistan who supposedly helped us during our long involvement in the Middle East.  They are most often referred to as “interpreters” but they could have done any menial job connected to our military or connected to non-profit groups operating in those countries and be eligible to come here and be given the same benefits as refugees—which means of course virtually all social services.

And, you are expected to believe that all SIVs we admit are just the salt of the earth like “Steve-O” here who was convicted of a brutal rape in CO in 2014. Real name is Jasim Ramadon and he was even a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show!  That is, before the rape that sent him to prison. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2014/01/24/iraqi-refugee-rapist-found-guilty-in-colorado-diana-west-reports-the-story-nationally/

So the US goes to war in some hellhole country and then, admitting we didn’t leave them a better government and a safer country, Americans are expected to reach out and welcome tens of thousands of their people to the US so that the next time we go to war, the military can offer a ticket to America in exchange for our largely unwilling presence in their hellhole country.

Sorry, I do respect our military, but this is going too far.

Since October of 2006, and as of a week ago, we have admitted 64,501 Afghan SIVs and another 18,677 Iraqi SIVs and so we are being told that over 83,000 is NOT ENOUGH!

Want to see the numbers for yourself go to the Refugee Processing Center:

Cumulative Arrivals by State for Refugees and SIV Reception and Placement (R&P) Recipients – Afghan

Cumulative Arrivals by State for Refugees and SIV Reception and Placement (R&P) Recipients – Iraqi

 

83,000 is NOT enough says the International Refugee Assistance Project the same ‘non-profit’ law firm that has fought the Trump Administration in court on every immigration/refugee reform issue the administration has undertaken.

From the Military Times (a report that leaves readers believing that only a trickle have come in so far):

Former interpreters laud court ruling to accelerate special visa decisions

For thousands of Afghan and Iraqi nationals who served as interpreters with the U.S. military, visa applications to gain permanent legal residence in the United States have languished in legal limbo for years. Now there may be help on the way, in the form of a court ruling.

[….]

This week, however, a judge granted “class certification” to Afghan and Iraqi nationals suing the federal government for overdue visa decisions, allowing thousands of outstanding cases to be included in a class-action lawsuit.

[….]

US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan,

Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled in favor of the five anonymous Afghan and Iraqi nationals, “who, despite significant personal risk, aided the United States in its time of need and now look to the United States for refuge for themselves and their immediate family members.”

The federal government now has 30 days to submit a plan to adjudicate long-delayed visa applications that have been pending for more than nine months.

“We are thrilled that the judge is holding the government accountable to its obligations to the thousands of men and women who have sacrificed so much in serving the U.S. missions abroad,” said Deepa Alagesan, a supervising attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), in a press release.

[….]

Currently, a total of 22,500 visas could be issued to former Afghan interpreters through the Special Immigrant Visa program — up from the 18,500 limit — after a provision was included in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

There is much more here.

Never forget! The SIV programs for Iraq and Afghanistan were created as riders to must-pass Defense authorization and appropriation bills and thus never went through the committee process to be stand-alone bills sent to the President for his signature.  Snuck on when hardly anyone was looking!

And, if you are wondering about vetting for the SIVs, here is another bunch (besides the CO rapist gang) who clearly slipped through and were busted for running an international fencing ring in California late last year.  There are probably plenty more like that they just haven’t come to my attention yet!

Mark my words, the SIV program is a ticking time bomb!