Refugee contractors increasingly admitting they can't survive without your money

07/19/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

….your tax dollars that is.
They can’t stay afloat on private charitable giving which says to me that there aren’t enough citizens willing to give their OWN money, or wealthy donors, who want more refugees in America!

“When you take out the underpinning that is the federal government support . . . the program is hamstrung.”

Angela Bovill

Here is the story from the Boston Globe yesterday!
It has been like pulling teeth over the years to get the contractors*** to admit that they are largely funded out of the federal, and sometimes state treasuries. We should thank Donald Trump’s slowdown for forcing them to admit this. (They have had years slower than 50,000, but this year they can blame it on Trump!)

From story entitled:

As refugee arrivals dwindle, resettlement agencies face cuts

Here are a few snips from further down in the piece:

The organizations receive an initial sum of $950 per refugee from the federal government to support operations, plus grants to finance specific services. [Actually some contractors keep more than $950. But rarely will you see mention of the additional grants!–ed]

Angela Bovill of Ascentria (formerly Lutheran Social Services New England). Don’t ask me why some LSS branches have changed their names, dumping the word Lutheran, in recent years.

Directors across the state said that this funding is critical to sustaining their programs.

“Private support does not make up for federal support,” said Angela Bovill, Ascentria Care Alliance’s chief executive. “When you take out the underpinning that is the federal government support . . . the program is hamstrung.”

With private dollars unable to fill budget holes, some directors have been left with no choice but to lay off staff, they said.

Government funds make up three-fourths of the International Institute of New England’s $1.27 million resettlement budget, and CEO Jeffrey Thielman said he has cut at least four full-time positions to offset a 21 percent reduction in funding.

Ascentria, which receives all of its core resettlement budget from the government, eliminated 17 positions in Massachusetts after a $611,000 shortfall.

More here.
The International Institute of New England is an USCRI subcontractor and Ascentria is a Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services sub office.

In 2013, Ms. Bovill made the astounding admission that refugee resettlement is a business! See here.

Hey, at least she is honest!—a federally-funded business (whatever that is!).
Did you know that I have an entire category called “Taxpayer goodies?” I just checked and see this will be post number 1,488 in the category!
***Federal contractors/middlemen/lobbyists/community organizers paid by you to place refugees in your towns and cities.
Because their income is largely dependent on taxpayer dollars based on the number of refugees admitted to the US, the only way for real reform of how the US admits refugees is to remove the contractors from the process. I have ideas on how to do that, but no one in Congress every asks!

Catholic Bishops, Lutherans lament: not enough refugees coming in to pay our bills

07/17/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

LOL! No of course they didn’t say it that way, but that is what they mean. Instead, once again, it is about the poor refugees left in the lurch in some third world hell hole because of that meany Donald J. Trump.
This is a broken record alert, but I plan to continue to pound the issue of payment to contractors being tied to the number of refugees admitted, so there is never a reasonable discussion about any slowdown or reform of the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program.

If they were paying for their Christian ‘charity’ out of the pockets of good and kind-hearted parishioners, I would have nothing to say. But, until the USCCB admits to the media that they receive 97% of their annual migration fund budget (about $83 million in 2014) from taxpayers, I will be a broken record on the issue.

It was only six days ago I did a new accounting report for the nine federal refugee contractors*** quasi-government agencies that monopolize all resettlement in the US.
Both the Bishops and the Lutheran contractor are 96-97% funded by US taxpayers!
You will never know that by reading this news. Indeed, Charity Navigator, a service that rates charities to help you decide if you want to give, said this about LIRS (they would have said the same about the USCCB except that outfit doesn’t file a Form 990, that we can find).

This organization is not eligible to be rated by Charity Navigator because, as a service for individual givers, we only rate organizations that depend on support from individual contributors and foundations. Organizations such as this, that get most of their revenue from the government or from program services, are therefore not eligible to be rated.

In this story from Crux (a Catholic publication) we learn that Catholics and Lutherans are #1 and #2 in the number of refugees they drop off in American towns and cities.
Here is Crux (lamentations):

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid a federal judge ordering the government to broaden the exemptions to the immigration travel ban partially upheld by the Supreme Court, Catholic and Lutheran leaders lamented that the immigration cap had been reached for refugees without such exemptions for the 2017 fiscal year.

The federal government suspended travel July 12 for refugee immigrants without close family connections after confirming that 50,000 refugees – the limit imposed by President Donald Trump in a March 6 executive order – had arrived on U.S. soil.

“We remain deeply troubled by the human consequences of the revised executive order on refugee admissions and the travel ban,” said Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, in a July 13 statement.

“Resettling only 50,000 refugees a year, down from 110,000, does not reflect the need, our compassion, and our capacity as a nation,” Vasquez added. “We have the ability to continue to assist the most vulnerable among us without sacrificing our values as Americans or the safety and security of our nation.” [Be sure to see my post on the ceilings going back 30 years, here. Note that Obama got no where near 110,000 until he was virtually walking out the door, now that has become the standard measure!—ed]

“The pause on resettlement and restrictions on the number of persons who can enter our country as refugees will have an immediate effect on our ability to conduct the lifesaving work of providing safety and protection,” said a July 12 statement by Kay Bellor, vice president for programs of Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service, which is second only to the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services in the number of refugees it helps resettle in the United States. [Yes, it will have an immediate effect because your organization raised virtually NO PRIVATE MONEY!—ed]

William Canny is the Bishops’ lobbyist in DC. He gets his salary, whatever it is, largely from the US taxpayer. Photo and bio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-canny-989616b1

[….]

“As Bishop Vasquez said, it’s very sad, deeply troubling,” MRS executive director William Canny told Catholic News Service July 14.

Pushing for 75,000 refugees in FY18!

At least they have tempered the demand for 200,000 they made of Obama for his last year. If Trump admits 75,000 he will be about 10,000 above the average admissions for the last ten years (which included their dear leader’s years).
Crux continues….

“What we’re advocating for is 75,000” refugees to come into the United States during fiscal 2018, Canny told CNS. “We understand that the administration has security concerns. The administration made some initiative to reduce the number of refugees coming into the country. We don’t agree with it, so at a minimum, we think we should be bringing in 75,000.”

Bellor agreed with the 75,000 figure, noting the number is “less than the need.” Citing United Nations World Refugee Day figures, “the numbers are definitely not shrinking,” she said. “The number of people on the move is 66 million.”

LOL! 75,000 must be the point where they can keep their budgets plenty full with your money!
There is more at Crux, go here to read it all.
Come on all of you (not just the Lutherans and the Catholics), admit that your ‘charitable’ work with refugees could not happen without a huge infusion of more than a half a billion $ a year in federal funding.
And, come on mainstream media, it is time you told the truth!
***Federal contractors/middlemen/lobbyists/community organizers paid by you to place refugees in your towns and cities. Because their income is largely dependent on taxpayer dollars based on the number of refugees admitted to the US, the only way for real reform of how the US admits refugees is to remove the contractors from the process.

South Carolina Lutheran agency cutting staff; will bigwigs in Baltimore see pay cuts?

02/28/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Ho hum! One more story about a federal resettlement subcontractor having to fire staff because this entire UN/US Refugee Admissions Program was so ill-conceived in the first place and because these supposed ‘religious’ charities became fat and happy on taxpayer dollars rather than raising private money for their “good works.”

lirs-building — The Lutheran Center (LIRS headquarters) is a six-story structure constructed in 1999 on property owned by Baltimore’s historic Christ Lutheran Church. The building is located near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the historic Federal Hill neighborhood, a charming area rich with history and an eclectic array of eateries and shopping venues. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2014/07/08/lutherans-may-be-operating-centers-for-unaccompanied-minors-in-your-state/

Here is the news from Charleston, South Carolina’s Post and Courier.
BTW, did you see the news about a town hall somewhere being opened with prayer and the Libs in the audience started shouting: “separation of church and state!” Well, where are they with the resettlement contractors? Where is the ACLU and its lawsuits claiming there should be a separation of church and state?
I digress, here is the news from South Carolina:

Refugee resettlement agency Lutheran Services Carolinas expects to layoff and reassign staff in the wake of President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order dramatically reducing the number of refugees who can enter the United States.

Federal courts have halted Trump’s order suspending the U.S. refugee admissions program. But the courts did not touch a provision of the order that slashed the cap on refugees from 110,000 to 50,000 this fiscal year. As of January 31, just under 40,000 refugees have been admitted to the U.S., including 28 in Charleston. [For the umpteenth time, there was no slashing in half! That 110,000 (ceiling!) was Obama’s last wish, nothing more! Average has been around 65,000 since 9/11.—ed]

Agencies such as Lutheran Services Carolinas, which resettles refugees in Charleston, Columbia and Raleigh, rely on federal money tied to each refugee they help resettle.

Yes! As I have been saying, it’s a kind of ponzi scheme built on ever-increasing numbers of refugees (paying clients!) being admitted to the US.
Post and Courier continues…..

Lutheran Services Carolinas is an affiliate of Baltimore-based Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of nine national organizations*** working on behalf of the federal government to help resettle refugees. Linda Hartke, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, estimates between 70 and 80 positions so far have been cut at partner agencies across the country.

“We and all of the resettlement networks are looking at reductions of staff,” Hartke said. “There’s not funding to pay for staff if refugees aren’t arriving. There’s some work that needs to be continued, but if the arrivals are dropping by more than 50 percent, it’s not good stewardship of resources to try to maintain staff infrastructure.”

***Update*** Hartke to receive Maryland business award, here.

Now, let’s have a little look at LIRS financial situation….

Why does no mainstream media ever bother doing this?
First, see one of their pages at USA Spending. From 2008-2016 they received $358,862,898 of your money from the US Treasury.

screenshot-374 — I’ve screenshot only 5 of 164 “transactions” here at USA Spending: https://www.usaspending.gov/Pages/AdvancedSearch.aspx?k=Lutheran%20Immigration%20and%20Refugee%20Service

This (below) is a page from the most recent Form 990 that I could find. Do you see that the federally-funded portion of their total revenue that year ($59,862,898) included $55,341,275 in federal grants and that loan servicing fee ($1,817,755) is likely the travel loan collection fee they receive from collecting money from refugees for their airfare (that was all your money too).
Thus 95% of their income comes from you—the American taxpayer!
Look at that paltry little bit of money they raised privately!

screenshot-376 — http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/132/574/2014-132574854-0bc6c937-9.pdf

Will any of the bigwigs in Baltimore see a pay cut or is Ms. Hartke preserving their resources at the top?
Is that good stewardship? I find it uncomfortable to report people’s salaries, and if this was a real non-profit group or a private business instead of a quasi-government agency, it would be none of our business what they pay their staff.
However, it isn’t a real non-profit group and since we pay the vast majority of their salaries, you should know what you pay them.
For comparison, go here to see what members of Congress make ($174,000 on average). Speaker of the House Paul Ryan makes less ($223,500) than Ms. Hartke! (You are paying for both of them!)

screenshot-375 — http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/132/574/2014-132574854-0bc6c937-9.pdf

So how many of you are crying for the contractors now?
For our complete archive on LIRS, click here.
***These are the nine federal refugee contractors:

Big deal! (Not!) So-called SAFE Act expected on the Senate floor tomorrow

01/19/2016 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I have to make myself write about this mostly because I am so sick of Congress pretending to do something about some of the greatest issues we face—this time the expected arrival of tens of thousands of unscreened Syrian refugees. This bill is fig leaf, they think we are dumb!
And because I’m bored and disgusted you can read all about it here at World Net Daily when it passed the House in the wake of the Paris terrorist attack.
But to see the HUGE grassroots campaign the federally-funded refugee resettlement contractors are undertaking you would think the bill (assuming it passes AND is signed into law by Obama) would actually slow their flow of mostly Muslim refugees they want to move into your towns and cities. They are screaming bloody murder!
This is from a campaign launched by one of their latest fronts #WeWelcomeRefugees. (If you look closely, it is the same gang, just a new-sounding name.)
Here is what our old pals at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) are telling their followers:

Wahhhh! Don’t let those meanies take away our Syrians and Iraqis! (We get paid by the head to drop them in your towns!)

From LIRS lobbyist Brittney Nystrom:

BrittneyNystrom_290 (1) — Brittney Nystrom LIRS lobbyist: “Make certain that in 2016 America stands for renewed hope not renewed hate.”

We hope you are well-rested from your Christmas and New Year celebrations because we need your help! Urge your Senators to vote with compassion next week on a bill that would cripple the United States’ refugee program’s ability to protect the most vulnerable.

[….]

If this bill were signed into law, it would become nearly impossible to welcome certain refugees. Further, the bill subjects Syrian and Iraqi refugees to differential treatment and intense scrutiny as a means of preventing their resettlement in the United States. [I agree, they should have added all the refugees from Muslim countries including Somalia!—ed]

This reactionary bill passed the House of Representatives just days after the tragic attacks in Paris, displaying a lack of understanding of the robust [What the h*** is ‘robust?’ so sick of that word!—ed] and secure vetting process before a refugee is admitted to the United States. In fact, many Representatives who initially voted for the bill signaled regret later.

LIRS believes, based on over 75 years of experience resettling refugees, that our resettlement system must not be foreclosed to the most vulnerable, including Syrians and Iraqis …..

Go here to read the rest and see how they are urging their Open Borders friends to call their Senators before tomorrow.

‘Faith leaders’ in support of more Muslim migration to America!

Is your rabbi, pastor or priest on the list?
By far the most useful information Ms. Nystrom provides is this list of all the “faith” leaders on the ‘religious Left’ who support MORE Muslim migration to America, more ‘unaccompanied alien children’ for your towns, and who were involved I’m sure in lobbying for the Gang of Eight (amnesty) bill as LIRS did as well.
There is even a state-by-state list of the clergy “welcoming” Muslim migrants to your towns! Go here and also (quickly) save the list!

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service bringing refugees/other migrants to Washington to lobby

05/29/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

They will surely be asking for more refugees and more taxpayer goodies, and you are most likely paying for this three-day shindig.
This is just a reminder of how organized they are as they work day and night to plant immigrant ‘seedlings’ in your towns and cities. This event will also train participants to go home to promote “welcoming” communities. They will be learning the fine art of community organizing, as well as being paraded around Capitol Hill!

For our many new readers, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is one of nine major federal contractors that call themselves VOLAGS (short for Voluntary Agencies) which they most decidedly are not!
They are all mostly funded by taxpayer dollars.

How rich is LIRS?

I checked the most recent Form990 for LIRS and this is what I learned. They took in $48,392,082 from gifts, contributions and grants and $46,414,735 came from government grants—that means from you, the taxpayer. Only 4% of their funds are privately raised. So you can bet that you are paying for 90 refugees and other MIGRANTS to lobby in Washington in a few weeks!
(Although it is possible that some rich Leftwing foundation, or a Soros affiliate is paying for this!)
Here (and below) is their press release announcing the lobbying campaign. I wonder if they will need extra security in Baltimore as we learned during the recent Baltimore riots that the local African Americans aren’t too fond of immigrants.

BALTIMORE, May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) will host the 2015 Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy, a three-day event for migrants and former refugees focused on building advocacy, community organizing, and leadership skills. The event will take place in Baltimore and Washington, DC on June 16-18.

This will be the third annual Academy for LIRS, one that marks an important expansion to include migrant leaders for the first time. [Editor: that must mean illegal aliens!] The Academy will equip participants with legislative advocacy and leadership enrichment training to become strong advocates for migrant and refugee issues. Through the experience, participants will be equipped to mobilize and engage in sustained advocacy for creating more welcoming local communities.

Ninety participants, including nine planning committee members and training facilitators – some of whom are former refugees and migrants – were selected from a pool of applicants with demonstrated leadership experience, strong ties to their local communities, and a desire to mobilize in support of pro-migrant and refugee policies. The participants hail from 33 states and represent 22 nationalities of origin. Each individual’s inspiring story of overcoming hardship to become a community leader illustrates the courage and perseverance of former migrants and refugees. The Academy schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, June 16th: Academy participants will take part in leadership skills enrichment and legislative advocacy training; discuss issues that bridge the immigration experience between migrants and refugees; and will prepare for visits with elected officials on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday, June 17th: Participants will travel to Washington, DC for a Lobby Day. Participants will meet with members of Congress to share their personal stories in an effort to support of pro-refugee legislation.

Thursday, June 18th: Participants will focus on strategies for sustained community engagement and collaborate on plans for on-going initiatives within their local communities. After they return home, the network of Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy participants will continue to serve as a support system and resource for the work of each leader in his or her respective community.

For more information about the Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy, please contact Folabi Olagbaju at 410-625-6744. Media interested in attending Capitol Hill meetings on June 17th may contact Miji Bell, 410-230-2841.

Press Contact: Miji Bell
410-230-2841, mbell@lirs.org

Go here for more on what we have said about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Here is a list of LIRS subcontractors in 23 states. This is the same refugee contractor that attempted (unsuccessfully because Wyomingites revolted) to get an office opened in Wyoming, the only state that doesn’t officially have a refugee program.