Allentown, PA a "first tier" city to get mostly Muslim Syrian refugees

10/13/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Meeting tomorrow in Allentown!

Update October 16th: Local Tea Party showed up and asked questions, here.
Sorry I have to repeat over and over again that the vast majority of the Syrians the US is admitting to the country are Muslims (97%) because many people simply assume we (and these supposedly Christian charities) are helping the truly persecuted Christians.

toomeyofficialportrait — Pennsylvania citizens should contact Senator Toomey’s office today and voice your concerns. PA is in the top ten states receiving Syrian refugees. Toomey is supposedly for limited government! http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=about_senator

See our previous mentions of Allentown where the Mayor signed a letter with 17 other mayors begging Obama for MORE Syrians (100,000 Syrians!).
And, here, where we learned that Syrians have already begun arriving in Allentown (and Pennsylvania generally).
From The Morning Call:

With at least 130 refugees expected to arrive in the Lehigh Valley in the next 12 months, local congregations, organizations and volunteers are wondering how they can help.

Lutheran Children and Family Services, which oversees an Allentown refugee resettlement program, will hold an informational meeting from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to address how individuals, churches and businesses can assist.

The meeting will take place at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 1993 Hanover Ave., Allentown.

[….]

Janet Panning, program director of Lutheran Children and Family Services, anticipates the Allentown resettlement program will take in 130 refugees this fiscal year, 50 to 80 of whom will be from Syria.

[….]

Wednesday’s session will include representatives from Muslim, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist and Catholic faiths and a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

[….]

The Allentown agency, which helps about 100 refugees each year, has been identified as a “first tier” agency, meaning it will be among the first tapped to help relocate the first wave of Syrian refugees, Panning has said.

[….]

Those wishing to attend Wednesday’s event can email Panning at janetp@lcfsinpa.org.

There is more, continue reading here.
If you are from Pennsylvania and cannot make this meeting, you should contact Senator Toomey’s office today and make sure he knows what your feelings are on the matter. Also, find out who the staff person is who will be attending and make sure he/she knows how you feel.
For new readers!
Be sure to see what Senator Sessions learned here about security screening refugees and see here what the FBI Director said just last week—they cannot be screened. Be sure Toomey’s staff people know about those two important Senate hearings.
See also my previous post from Florida where a doctor reminds us of the mental health needs of Syrians—ask Toomey who pays for mental health treatment?
And, go here, and start to gather important information on what is happening where you live.

Lutherans call for 200,000 refugees to be admitted to US in 2016 including 100,000 Syrians

09/04/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

A reader has just alerted us to yet another federal refugee contractor, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), one-upping the other two contractors we have reported on, here and here both demanding that Obama admit 65,000 Syrians in FY2016. We thought those were outrageous demands!

Linda Hartke, CEO of LIRS, sent out the urgent e-mail to their members. LIRS is approximately 97% funded with your tax dollars! https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2015/01/16/how-much-of-your-tax-dollars-are-the-federal-refugee-resettlement-contractors-receiving/

But get this…..
LIRS wants 100,000 Syrians! Either they are completely insane or they know Obama is on the edge and needs a little push! Maybe if they say 100,000, Obama will settle for 65,000!
Here is what our reader says was in his e-mail alert:

“Refugees fleeing Syria need you.

I am asking you to join us with three simple actions that can make a real difference:

Act – In response to this global refugee crisis, the largest since World War II, you can urge the President and Congress to increase the annual refugee admissions goal, or “Presidential Determination” from the 2015 number of 70,000 to 200,000 for 2016 and prioritize receiving 100,000 Syrian refugees in this number.

Click here to send to urge President Obama and Congress to increase the number of refugees resettled this year and to prioritize Syrians.

We’ve been telling you about the importance of the timing on all this right now with the “Presidential Determination” due to be sent to Congress for “consultation” within a couple of weeks. The escalating migrant crisis in Europe isn’t helping either.
This will be a great test for the Republicans running Congress—will they once again rubber stamp what Obama wants?

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!

Linda Hartke is the CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. A look at a recent Form990 indicates that Hartke makes over $250,000 a year and 5 other employees are in the 6-figure range. Doing well by doing good? Her bio is here: http://lirs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/LIRS_LindaHartkeBio.pdf

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.

Baltimore: Thousands of impoverished refugees poured into city in last ten years; fuel for the fire?

05/03/2015 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Is Baltimore a failed social experiment in the government’s (and big business’s) push for more diversity in your towns and cities?

Can we call it a first spectacular failure for Obama’s Task Force on New Americans plan to seed communities with third-worlders?

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is one of the Top Nine refugee resettlement contractors in the country and it is headquartered in one of Baltimore’s better neighborhoods. This is what we said in 2014: Gotta keep up their real estate holdings! 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/

Baltimore, a majority African American (63%) city where we hear jobs are scarce and poverty is profound, with by several accounts amounting to 25% of the population living below the poverty level, the US State Department and its refugee resettlement contractors have nevertheless been pouring more diversity and consequently more poverty into the city for at least a decade.

In fact, Baltimore is a preferred refugee resettlement site according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement!

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fell for the feds ‘progressive’ scheme here in 2012 when she said that bringing more refugees and immigrants to the city would boost the economy completely failing to understand that, just because African Americans are black, they wouldn’t simply ‘welcome’ the rainbow colors of the world to compete with them for jobs, housing and scarce social services.

The hard truth was revealed in the New York Times of all places. African Americans don’t take kindly to diversity!

Here is one shocking little fact that was buried in a New York Times story about the recent riots:

Black gang leaders directed angry rioters to Asian and Arab shops while protecting stores owned and run by fellow African Americans.

Then he described how he and some Bloods had stood in front of black-owned stores to protect them from looting or vandalism. He said they had made sure no black children, or reporters, were hit by rioters. They pointed them toward Chinese- and Arab-owned stores. Charles said Mr. Gray had brought gangs together.

So much for the diversity-is-beautiful myth!

How much diversity has been brought to Baltimore to compete with poor African Americans?

This morning I went to the data base and checked out the numbers of refugees deposited in Baltimore since 2005. I’m listing only countries of origin if there were more than 10 refugees resettled there. There were many other countries represented by smaller numbers.

Baltimore’s new diversity (these are newly resettled from abroad since 2005, not secondary migrants from elsewhere in the US):

Azerbaijan (10)

Bhutan (1,352)

Burma (1,109)

Burundi (11)

Cent. African Republic (16)

Congo (26)

DR Congo (253)

Eritrea (374)

Iran (136)

Iraq (404)

Liberia (99)

Nepal (10)

Pakistan (13)

Palestine (19)

Russia (196)

Somalia (217)

Sudan (225)

Syria (26)

Uzbekistan (36)

Vietnam (15)

All are in direct competition with African Americans for jobs, education, housing and social services. And, these numbers do not include the thousands of illegal aliens welcomed to Baltimore in the last decade!

Lutheran refugee contractor cheers for Obama amnesty (no surprise!)

11/23/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We have reported for years on how the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland is one of the leading advocacy groups in the nation involved in the open borders political movement, so this is no surprise.

Before you read on, have a look at a recent Form 990 (page 9) for LIRS. Their income from gifts, grants and contributions was $41,757,518 and $40,417,752 came from “government grants.” That means that you, the American taxpayer, “contributed” 97% of their income. Check out their Baltimore digs and note that their income jumped $10 million from 2011 to 2012.

Obama gets a big smooch from LIRS! Linda Hartke, CEO of LIRS makes over $200,000 a year in salary and benefits (you, the American taxpayer, pay her salary) http://lirs.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Linda_Hartke_Bio.pdf

LIRS could not exist and be lobbying for amnesty if it wasn’t for the fact that you pay their salaries and overhead! Galling isn’t it?

One aspect of their enthusiasm for illegal aliens being granted permission to live and work here that I don’t get is this—they are charged with finding jobs for the refugees they resettle and there is no doubt that the Obama reprieve for millions of illegal aliens will put those “new Americans” in direct competition with job-hungry refugees for low-skilled jobs. Doesn’t LIRS see that?

Here is LIRS cheering the President last Thursday….

From PR Newswire:

BALTIMORE, Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), and supporters all across America, welcome the significant steps taken today by the Obama Administration that invite our neighbors out of the shadows, bring greater hope and security in the place of fear and stabilize the lives of millions of immigrants living in the United States. The President’s historic announcement of new immigration policies brings hope to immigrant families, aids our communities in being places of welcome, and strengthens our nation by living out American values, and lifting up our economy. These actions are grounded in our history as a nation that has been renewed and strengthened by each generation of newcomers.

The policies announced today reflect American values of justice and are an important step towards a more humane immigration system. It is our hope that the President’s demonstrated leadership will lead to Congressional action to rebuild an immigration system which further strengthens us as a nation and respects the rights and dignity of people who have come to the United States seeking refuge, family or the dignity of work and wages.

“Today, millions of lives have been changed for the better. We must continue to lift up the American tradition of being a welcoming society that honors freedom, equality, and opportunity and values each and every person,” said Linda Hartke, LIRS President and CEO. “The President’s actions are a significant step in the right direction – promoting family unity and offering vital solutions for our economy and country.”

As a faith-based organization, LIRS has long advocated for an immigration system that encourages and supports keeping families together, and better protects children, migrants, refugees and other vulnerable persons. The President’s actions today are consistent with LIRS’s core principles of respect for human dignity and the biblical call to welcome the newcomer.

They go on to say they won’t be satisfied until they get the whole ball of wax—comprehensive immigration reform which they lobbied for in 2013. Of course, we know that the Senate-passed S.744 had many goodies that will flow directly to LIRS and other refugee contractors.

There is contact information (see their press release). If you are a Lutheran who disagrees with what LIRS is doing in your name, you should contact them and let them know how you feel.

For those who want to learn more about LIRS, we have an extensive archive here. For those following the Wyoming controversy, LIRS in Baltimore is the parent organization of Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, here (one of our top three posts over the last week).

LIRS is one of the top nine federal resettlement contractors. Don’t be fooled by the fact that they call themselves Voluntary Agencies. They are all almost completely funded by you, the American taxpayer.