First Syrian refugees arriving in Louisville, KY; helped with grant from Islamic charity

02/15/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Just as we have been discussing the testimony this past week by the FBI to the House Homeland Security Committee and how difficult it is to vet the thousands of Syrians in the UN’s pipeline to America, news is coming that the first Syrians are arriving.

This information about a Muslim charity giving grants for refugee resettlement is the first I have seen of this practice.

Head quartered in Alexandria, VA, Islamic Relief USA is not a rinkey-dink charity—in a recent Form 990 they reported $65 million in income in one year.

***Update***Ryan Mauro writing at the Clarion Project says that Islamic Relief USA is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood (here).

Here is a story from WAVE 3 News from Louisville after an intro about the Bosnian caseworker from Kentucky Refugee Ministries:

“We all came as refugees and now it’s about time for us to give back,” said Semsudin Haseljic.

Syrian refugees arriving in Louisville, KY on Friday. Looks like nutritional deprivation was not a concern for this family

He arrived in Louisville to get treatment when he lost both legs in the Bosnian war. “It was difficult at the beginning because I was here by myself,” Haseljic said. “I didn’t have any money, any clothes, any family members.”

Today, he’s a caseworker with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. The organization with the help of the Bosnian American Islamic Center, and thanks to a grant from Islamic Relief USA, is bringing a family fleeing civil war in Syria. “This is a young couple, a husband and wife, and two young children,” Haseljic said.

Mohammed Masmoom and his family have had a long journey, stretching many months and miles, but when asked about his emotions today, all he could talk about was his welcome.

“He feels great that he saw all these people welcome him in the airport,” said Miriam Jaleel, who translated for the family.

The family was taken to the apartment that’s been rented in their name for a welcome meal, and then a weekend to adjust and decompress.

On Monday, Kentucky Refugee Ministries will begin explaining the services [including welfare—ed] they can expect, the English classes they’ll take and the help they’ll get finding jobs. The goal is for them to be self-sufficient in five to eight months and then help other families that Refugee Ministries expects to arrive in [from?] Syria.

By the way, Louisville is a preferred resettlement site for the federal government. And, Kentucky is a Wilson-Fish state which means that Kentucky elected officials at the local and state level have no say in any of this—it is all done with federal contractors like Kentucky Refugee Ministries.

But….Mitch and Rand could say a whole lot about this if they wanted to!

Diversity is strength alert: They eat camels in Kentucky!

01/09/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Ahhhh! More beautiful diversity, this time from Louisville, KY where Somalis bring in Halal camel meat for the growing Somali population.

From the Journal-Courier (emphasis mine):

The day you get eaten in Kentucky? Image here: http://www.lovethispic.com/image/45972/hump-day-camel

Between 160 and 200 pounds of frozen camel meat goes out the door every week at the Global Food Market, a tiny grocery on Eighth Street downtown.

That is where storekeeper Osman Ibrahim sells the 2-pound tenderloin camel roasts from his freezer case at $6.99 per pound. Store customers, who are largely Somali immigrants in Louisville, stew or slow-braise the camel, he said.

In Somalia, “camel is something you eat every day,” said Ibrahim, who emigrated to the U.S. from Mogadishu and started his ethnic grocery in Louisville eight years ago. [I guess this store is accepts food stamps–ed]

The boneless camel comes frozen from Australia, where the animals are slaughtered according to Halal customs, which are Muslim standards for food preparation, he added.

See a description of Halal slaughter methods in Australia, here. Not so great for the animal in some situations.

Where is PETA? Are they on the Halal slaughter case here in the US? Does anyone know?

How many Somalis were resettled in Kentucky since 2004?

I recently discovered these numbers—1,833! 1,605 of them went to Louisville! I did not think it was going to be that high. And, that number is only those directly resettled there from Africa and elsewhere. It does not include ‘secondary migrants’ who moved to Kentucky after being resettled in another state. I guess this means that there are now enough camel-eaters to make it economically feasible to import Halal camel meat!

By the way, see our recent hot post to learn more about who is doing the resettling in Kentucky.

Kentucky is a Wilson-Fish state which means the state government of Kentucky has no say over what happens with the program—it is run exclusively by ‘religious’ contractors and the federal government.

Our Kentucky archive is here.

Kentucky considers extending highschool graduation age to refugee teens

01/16/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

And, it would mean more expense for the “welcoming” community and “welcoming” Kentucky thanks to Catholic Charities of Louisville.*

Refugee kids in Louisville’s Newcomer Academy.
http://www.wdrb.com/story/21818015/global-homecoming-at-the-jcps-newcomer-academy

From WFPL News (hat tip: Robin):

Thang Lian is a resettled Burmese refugee student who attends Jefferson County Public Schools’ Newcomer Academy. In March, he turns 21, which means the district can no longer financially support his education.

So he’ll have to choose another path.

“My parents and my counselor were talking about next year I move to GED,” he says.

For some the GED high school equivalency diploma is an option; others may enroll in Jefferson County’s online alternative program. [Take it from me, there is nothing wrong with going the GED route! And, some one of the refugee contractor organizations could provide charitable tutoring along the way!—ed]

On Tuesday, Kentucky’s House Education Committee approved bill that would give refugee students like Lian an additional two years to graduate, extending state spending for these students to age 23.

Concerns center on additional costs and the fairness issue. Although not raised here, do we want 23-year-olds in school with 14-year-olds?

But the Kentucky Department of Education is concerned about parts of the bill. For example, there could be additional costs to the state and local districts and equity issues could arise, like not providing the same opportunity for special education students, education department officials say.

Refugee overload in Jefferson County?

As WFPL previously reported, officials estimate more than 500 school-age children have been resettled in Jefferson County alone over the past year. That number is expected to rise, officials say.

[…..]

Further, data from the Kentucky Office of Refugees (aka Catholic Charities) shows over 100 refugees between the ages 14 and 17 have been resettled each year throughout the state over the past several years.

* Louisville is the center of Jefferson County.

Thank Catholic Charities!

So who is bringing all the refugees to Louisville? Why it’s none-other than Catholic Charities of Louisville which is coincidentally also the Kentucky Office for Refugees. Gee, sounds like Tennessee where Catholic Charities calls the shots on the demographic change for the state. Progressive Catholics are busy changing the South!

We wrote about them just last month here.

Check out a recent Form990 for Catholic Charities of Louisville. On page 9 note that their income was $13,179,017 and you (taxpayers) gave them $11,349,920 of that through government grants.

Thank Catholic Charities too for bringing all the Muslims to Louisville where 8 mosques now serve the growing Muslim community….

… including thousands of refugees from such lands as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

A trip down memory lane: In 2007, then Bush Asst. Secretary for refugees, Ellen Sauerbrey, told an audience in Louisville that we bring refugees to America to keep them from becoming terrorists! Funny in light of the fact that Kentucky should have been the home for those two Iraqi refugee terrorists subsequently caught there.

See yesterday’s post about how many refugee teens are not finishing high school. Maybe Catholic Charities could offer tutoring services through private charitable giving (of time or money) by local Catholics, or better still, give all those refugee kids free tuition to private Catholic schools until age 23!

Catholic Charities raking in government bucks in Louisville, KY

12/13/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

When I saw this article entitled, ‘Sponsor a refugee family for holiday giving,’ I thought to myself, that’s nice they are asking Catholics to give Christmas (oops! “holiday”) gifts to refugees by “sponsoring” a family. Of course, I immediately thought why don’t they ask churches, groups and individuals to sponsor a family for a year!

Then half way down the gushy piece comes this section of the article filled with the usual misinformation about who really is paying for refugees—YOU!

And, get this! Catholic Charities of Louisville has an indoctrination program that is going national in 2014—You will likely be paying them through federal grants to “educate” your kids too!

From the Examiner.com (emphasis mine):

So who brings these refugees to the United States and who financially supports them? Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) is one of the local affiliates of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, under newly-elected president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, which assists in the resettlement process. As a branch of Catholic Charities, MRS has resettled approximately one-third of all refugees entering the United States, totaling over 10,000 refugees since 1975. [They are surely missing some zeros because the US has now taken in well over a million refugees—ed] Out of the 120 organizations run by Catholic Charities, MRS now ranks five. Funding of the program comes primarily from the federal government and the Archdiocese of Louisville. [Very little from private funding as you will see below —ed] From October 2012 thru September 2013, MRS has resettled over 1000 refugees in Louisville neighborhoods coming from over 20 countries. The top five nationalities are Burmese, Somalia, Iraq, Bhutan and Cuba.

MRS assists with various programs to help refugees reach the goal of self-sufficiency within six months. In addition to providing basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, furnishings and transportation, all refugees attend English classes and cultural orientation programs, receive medical services, and are assisted with job search and placement. According to Chris Clements, Community Resource Developer, “87% percent of refugees have reached self-sufficiency status within a six-month period since October 2013.” [No way! They are not self-sufficient if they get subsidized housing and food stamps, and there is no way 87% are not on one or both of those welfare programs—ed] Many refugees who had professional jobs in their own countries begin with entry-level jobs here and work their way up. “They are happy to be here and willing to work,” noted Clements. Catholic Charities have assisted by hiring some refugees. “About 40% are former refugees. [Of course that helps CC’s employment statistics!—ed] They know what it’s like and can identify with them.” Many have opened stores and restaurants, adding to the diversity and ethnic possibilities within the community [With micro-loans funded by the feds with your money!—ed] Louisville is a welcoming place for refugees by offering a medium-size city, affordable cost of living, lower crime rate, better employment opportunities, English programs in public schools, and bus transportation.

Propaganda campaign coming to your school next year!

To heighten awareness about refugees and transitions they encounter, Catholic Charities of Louisville and local educators developed a program that will be introduced on a national level for other agencies in Washington, DC in July 2014. This curriculum guide, Seeking Refuge: Forced to Flee, takes participants into a simulated refugee camp by navigating thru a series of stations, encountering communication, medical and legal barriers. The program was initiated in various schools and parishes for the past 10 years, and its success has multiplied each year.

In building awareness about the plight of refugees, word will hopefully spread that these families arrive here with only a few of their personal belongings….

So, every child will be guilt-tripped into never again questioning why we are doing this—importing third world poverty into America while we have our own poor and needy people.

Have a look at Catholic Charities of Louisville’s latest Form 990.

They took in $13,179,017. (page 9)

They received $11,349,920 from GOVERNMENT GRANTS. 86% of their funding comes from TAXPAYERS!

$773,162 came from related organizations (probably the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as pass-through from the federal government too!).

That leaves $1,055,935 from all other contributions. Only 8% of their funding is from presumably private sources.

They couldn’t exist without your money.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the ACLU to raise a question of the separation of church and state because CC and the ACLU are on the same political team.