Tag: Lewiston Maine

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!

Maine: Rule change could reduce welfare for some immigrants

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update December 29th:  Be sure to see Daniel Greenfield’s article on Somalis and welfare in Maine at Frontpage magazine.

In 2009 we wrote a post which has become one of our most-visited posts at RRW (Tenth most visited with 9,088 views).  It is entitled, ‘Somali Migration to Maine: it’s the welfare magnet, stupid.’   I’ve wondered since then what Maine was doing with its giveaways that made it so attractive.  This article in ‘The Portland Daily Sun’ gives us some hint.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a rule change to bring Maine’s welfare program in line with federal guidelines that require 5 years of residency before a legal immigrant (non-citizen) can access the program and of course a legal outfit is challenging the proposed rule. (Refugees get welfare right away, see our ‘fact sheet’ for more on how that works).

The Portland Daily Sun (emphasis mine):

A legal advocacy group has warned city and state officials that a proposed rule change at the Department of Health and Human Services could cut off benefits to members of Maine’s immigrant population.

Robin Merrill, a senior policy analyst with Maine Equal Justice Partners, met with members of the Portland City Council and the legislative delegation on Monday and talked about a proposed rule change that could cause some members of the immigrant community to lose general assistance.

“This would be devastating for Portland and for Lewiston,” Merrill said.

The rule being proposed by DHHS would block anyone from receiving general assistance if they do not qualify for federal assistance, like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Maine Food Supplement program, because of citizenship status.

The rule change was proposed to align Maine’s public assistance programs with federal ones, according to DHHS, and the federal government does not provide coverage for legal non-citizens until five years after their arrival. The state will no longer fund general assistance for that population, DHHS said, though municipalities may still use their portion to assist them.  [Newly resettled refugees get all the available federal government programs right away—ed]

DHHS will hold a public hearing on the rule change on Jan. 10 at its Augusta office, and written public comment will be accepted until Jan. 24.

Here is the website for the Maine DHHS.  I did a quick search and didn’t find a reference to this meeting, but if you are a Mainer, and wish to comment, call them!

Related story:  Earlier this month Gov. Paul LePage charged that there is extensive welfare fraud going on in Maine, and here a women’s group criticizes the governor for saying such a dreadful thing about poor innocent people in Maine.   Just for fun I typed the words ‘Maine fraud’ into our search function and up popped pages of posts with Maine fraud stories—food stamp, medicaid, housing, etc.

More diversity is beautiful in Lewiston, ME

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Sudanese refugee Deng Mirac attempted to kill his wife with a kitchen knife, and remains behind bars until trial. Photo Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Here is another gift to Maine, most likely thanks to Catholic Charities which is still, I believe, the top resettlement contractor in that state (they say on their website that they are the only federal contractor in Maine).

From the Lewiston/Auburn Sun-Journal:

AUBURN — A judge sided with prosecutors Thursday in an attempted murder case, saying DNA evidence collected from the defendant shortly after his arrest was legal even though police hadn’t executed a search warrant.

Sudanese refugee Deng Mirac, 42, of 158 Blake St. in Lewiston was in Androscoggin County Superior Court for a hearing on his motion to suppress evidence. He was assisted by an interpreter.

He is accused of stabbing his estranged wife, Adut Adong, 34, in the face and abdomen with a kitchen knife in the driveway of her Blake Street apartment in Lewiston in April.

Mirac’s attorney, Nicholas Worden, argued that police should have secured a search warrant before collecting samples of a reddish-brown substance that appeared to be blood on Mirac’s hands and the black leather jacket he was wearing. He said there was no risk of his client destroying or hiding evidence because he was in police custody in an interview room at the police station in Lewiston with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Worden said those circumstances gave police enough time to seek a warrant before taking swabs of DNA from Mirac’s hands and jacket. His Fourth Amendment rights were violated, Worden said.

Justice MaryGay Kennedy disagreed with Worden and denied his motion.

For our many many posts on “welcoming” Lewiston, click here.  One of our most popular posts of all time is this 2009 post about Catholic Charities and Maine as the welfare magnet.

Lewiston: First Somali elected to school committee as write-in candidate

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Jama Mohamed waits for the recount Thursday in Lewiston.

Here is the news from the Lewiston Sun-Journal via Hiiraan online:

LEWISTON — A School Committee write-in candidate picked up 10 votes in a ballot recount Thursday, making him the city’s first African immigrant to be elected to public office.

Jama Mohamed will represent Ward 5, which comprises the downtown.

[…..]

Serving on the School Committee “is a lot of responsibility,” he said. Being the first African immigrant is like a door opening for him and others who come from different countries, he said. He hopes more will follow his lead.

[…..]

Mohamed, 29, is a native of Somalia. He came to the United States in 2004 and to Lewiston in 2008. He works as a case manager and interpreter at Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. He is co-founder and communications director of the Somali Bantu Youth Association of Maine, an organization that mentors students.

A father of six, he told the Sun Journal last month he was running for office because “it is my duty to serve.”

Wow! most of 1,204 ELL students are Somali!

Lewiston has 5,239 students, 23 percent of whom are English language learners; most of the ELL students are children of Somali refugees. With so many Lewiston students being Somali, “we need representation from the Somali community on the School Committee,” Lysen said.

For background on how so many Somalis “found their way” to Lewiston, read our 2009 post about Maine the welfare magnet.  Our complete archive on Lewiston is here.

Lewiston, ME: Somali on Somali crime

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Diversity is strength alert!  Lewiston man indicted on assault charges (ho hum).  Maybe just a little clan conflict gone awry.  Hat tip: Michael.

Mahad Hassan of Lewiston.
Photo: Daryn Slover

From the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal (emphasis is mine):

LEWISTON — A local man was indicted on assault charges Wednesday, accused in a September stabbing he claims was self-defense.

Mahad Hassan, 25, of 214 Blake St., was indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury on charges of aggravated assault and elevated aggravated assault.

Hassan is accused of using a broken bottle to stab 33-year-old Abdi Bihi in the face, neck, arms and back on the evening of Sept. 3 inside Hassan’s apartment.

Bihi survived his injuries. At a later court appearance, Hassan claimed he was forced to stab Bihi when the man came at him in a threatening manner.

Hassan has remained jailed since his arrrest.

See our lengthy archive on Lewiston, here.   And be sure to read one of our most widely read posts of all time (8,826 views)—Somali migration to Maine.