Tag: New Hampshire

New Hampshire mayors assured no refugee resettlement (for now!)

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Readers may remember that a storm blew up in Dover, NH and surrounding towns near refugee-overloaded Manchester, NH last summer when a wannabe refugee contractor jumped the gun and asked to brief the mayor on the possible placement of African refugees in the town.

This is a very very informative article that confirms what we have learned from experience—if your elected officials ask questions and demand public accountability from the resettlement contractors and the US State Department, you can back them down.

Mayor Karen Weston should be taking credit for helping her small city dodge a bullet (for now)!

Mayor Weston and the other mayors deserve praise for expecting answers from the federal government and their refugee contractors about how hundreds of refugees would impact the town of Dover and surrounding towns.

From Foster’s Daily Democrat (emphasis is mine):

DOVER — Local mayors are feeling “reassured” after state and federal officials confirmed this week that the Tri-Cities are not being considered for refugee resettlement.

“Right now, we have been put at ease,” Dover Mayor Karen Weston said Friday.

Weston joined Rochester Mayor T.J. Jean and Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard on a conference call with N.H. refugee coordinator Barbara Seebart and staff from the offices of U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte. [One thing the contractors fear, and the State Department pays attention to, is how involved Senators and Congressmen become in the process!—ed]

During the hour-long call, the mayors learned how refugee resettlement works in New Hampshire.

Everyone facing the possibility of refugee resettlement for your town, pay attention to this next line.  They do not seek extensive feedback unless you demand it!

Among the key takeaways: The process takes time, and the resettlement organizations seek extensive feedback from potential host communities.

In other words, refugee resettlement doesn’t happen overnight.  [We have seen it virtually overnight where the local elected officials are SILENT or complicit.—ed]

“I feel reassured that if Rochester or any of the Tri-City communities were going to be considered there would be a very thorough process for public input,” Jean said.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such an informative article as this one involving targeted cities!  Continue reading:

Cities and towns cannot block refugee resettlement, just as they cannot restrict people of any race or ethnicity from moving in.  [This first part of the sentence is what the bullies will tell your elected officials, but be assured if you question their plans and demand answers they will likely move on to another (softer) target site.—ed]

Weston and Jean have expressed concern about potential impacts on local schools, housing and city services if refugees settled in the region.

“It’s very clear that the Tri-City area does not have the infrastructure to support refugee resettlement, at least how it stands right now,” Jean said Friday.

Who does have the infrastructure to support refugees?  I believe it is the case that very few of the 180 plus cities that are already getting hundreds of impoverished immigrants don’t have the infrastructure.  It is really just a matter of how complacent a community is—if no questions are asked, refugees will be moved in!

See our complete archive on Dover, NH here.

Dover, NH update: No refugees coming (yet!), but mayor wants a plan and federal legislation…

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

…..that would give local communities more say in the matter, assure financial help!

This is an update of the hot story we reported last summer about the possibility of the US State Department granting authority to a wannabe refugee resettlement agency to begin resettling refugees into the Tri-cities area of New Hampshire.  The nascent plan was killed when it appeared that a planned public meeting would be explosive.

Sensible Dover Mayor Karen Weston wants a plan! Bio here: http://www.dover.nh.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/city-council/index.html

Backpedaling now, the resettlement agencies in the state say there are no plans in the immediate future for Dover and surrounding towns.  However that isn’t the most important thing about this article!  First we learned some new bits of information and secondly, and most astoundingly, the Mayor of Dover wants to seek federal legislation to give communities a greater say in resettlement plans for American cities.  Wow!

She needs to call for a meeting of  bipartisan(!) mayors from “pockets of resistance” including mayors of Athens, GA, Amarillo, TX, Springfield, MA, Lynn, MA, Manchester, NH and Lewiston, ME for a start!

From Foster’s Daily Democrat:

DOVER — There are no plans to resettle African immigrants in the Tri-Cities, according to state officials and two refugee relocation groups.

The refugee issue emerged last summer when representatives from the Manchester-based Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success, or ORIS, approached Dover officials about becoming a resettlement community. The group appeared to back away from the plan amid concern from residents and local officials.

Barbara Seebart, the state refugee coordinator for the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services, said she’s not aware of any plans for refugee resettlement in the Tri-Cities.

This is the first we have heard that there is a certain time period for wannabe refugee contractors to get approval:

ORIS is a social service agency not authorized by the federal government to resettle refugees and therefore it cannot place people in Dover, according to Seebart. That federal authorization process could take 18 to 24 months.

Dover mayor wants a plan in advance!  (Just like the mayor of Athens, GA)  And, she wants federal legislation!   Me too! And, I have ideas on how it should be crafted.

Mayor Karen Weston doesn’t oppose refugee resettlement but believes host communities should have more control in determining how many can arrive each year. She also believes the federal government should offer funding to offset the effects on city and school budgets.

“There are no plans today, but it can happen any day,” Weston said. “That is why we want to be proactive and (pursue) possible legislation with the federal government.”

[….]

She hopes to arrange a conference call with Rochester Mayor T.J. Jean, Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard and members of the state’s congressional issue to address those immigration law changes. Weston expects that call won’t happen until next year.

The U.S. has been accepting refugees since the early 1980s. New Hampshire currently receives between 250 and 550 of these legal immigrants each year, Seebart said. Most live along the Interstate 93 corridor from Nashua to Concord, although some have been placed in Laconia.  [Note to the mayor, be sure to arrange for at least those New England mayors asking for a moratorium to join your call!–ed]

This next line may be factually correct, but certainly local elected officials should be part of any plan coming down from the feds especially as it will involve high costs for local taxpayers for everything from health care, to subsidized housing (see Seattle!), to education for the kids and, not to be forgotten,the criminal justice system!

Cities and towns cannot block refugee resettlement, the same way they cannot restrict people of any race or ethnic group from moving in.

Then get this!  Seebart says there is “extensive collaboration” before refugees are resettled.

“Extensive collaboration” my foot!  They may have a meeting with “stakeholders,” but the general public is not invited!  Heck, they have already demonstrated reluctance to hold a public meeting (where contractors and the State Dept would stand before the public and answer questions) as everyone who followed the controversy this summer noticed. 

Regardless, refugees don’t just show up in host cities overnight. There is a well-established federal system for refugee resettlement that includes extensive collaboration with local communities, Seebart said.

[….]

“If a new resettlement site is being nurtured,” she [Amy Marchildon a resettlement contractor in NH] said, “there would be a long process of engaging city government and community social support services and the community.”

I’ll bet we have 50 posts on New Hampshire over the years due to the many refugee controversies happening there.  Click here to learn more.

Brown and Brown, two candidates cozy with Islamists lose

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Ryan Mauro writing at the Clarion Project has an interesting analysis showing that some candidates who were snuggling with Islamists or carrying their water in recent years went down to defeat on Tuesday.

In 2012, then Senator Scott Brown (and McCain suck-up) had condemned Rep. Michele Bachmann and defended Hillary aide Huma Abedin against charges she has connections with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Two that interested me especially were the surprise gubernatorial campaign loss in Maryland of Anthony Brown (because I live in Maryland).

And, if I had known this about Scott Brown in New Hampshire, I wouldn’t have wasted a second feeling sorry for his loss.

Race for Maryland Governorship

A third defeat for the Islamists was the loss by of Lieutenant-Governor Anthony Brown in his bid to be Maryland’governor.

Brown spoke for a CAIR event in May even though official FBI policy prohibits participation in CAIR fundraisers due to its Hamas links.

Maryland’s current governor, Martin O’Malley, is a possible presidential candidate and CAIR has used O’Malley/Brown officials for fundraising, including even their attorney general.

The O’Malley-Brown administration also endorsed a $100-million mega-mosque project in Maryland supported by the Islamist government of Turkey. The project is also backed by ICNA and ISNA leaders.

O’Malley was also the chairman of the Department of Homeland Security’s Working Group on Violent Extremism that reviewed counter-terrorism training. The committee included officials from these same Islamist groups and produced Islamist-friendly guidelines.

Scott Brown Fails to Win Senate Seat

Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown failed to win his race for senator in New Hampshire.

In the summer of 2012, Brown was one of the Republican leaders who questioned the integrity of the five members of Congress who asked for investigations into the influence on the U.S. government of Muslim Brotherhood-linked individuals and activists.

At the time, Brown said accusations about Huma Abedin, who has documented Islamist ties and was then Secretary of State Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff, were “out-of-line” and have “no place in our public discourse.”

We reported on the controversy surrounding Rep. Michele Bachmann and the four other Members of Congress who claim the federal government has been deeply compromised by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Read the whole thing!  Mauro has a list of candidates who received financial backing from Islamic groups in this year’s campaign.

By the way, this is filed in our ‘stealth jihad’ category.

CIS: New Hampshire employment growth goes to immigrants

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

In its on-going series on the employment picture in various US states, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) this past week released its finding from New Hampshire.  See also reports on Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia.

Readers here know that New Hampshire is being inundated with refugees and for several years now the mayor of Manchester has begged for a moratorium on further resettlement, but to no avail.

Nashua, NH mayor: Sure! Bring in more immigrant labor to compete with New Hampshire natives! https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2014/10/22/nashua-nh-to-take-150-new-refugees-this-year-contact-the-mayor/

If (if?) the contractors have slowed the flow to that city they have found other places such as newly “welcoming” Nashua (see our post here late last month) to send them because, once they have set up shop in a state, they have investments in office space and staff they want to protect and thus need the federal cash to keep operations running in high gear.

And, as they bring in the family members of the original “seed community” they want to place them near to their relatives.

Dover, NH, another pocket of resistance!

Also, if you are a new reader, you might be interested to see that the contractors attempted to move into Dover and some other smaller cities this year, but were thwarted when elected officials there had the good sense to ask for a plan from the federally contracted agencies that would be dropping-off the refugees.  See posts on Dover, here.

Here is the latest finding from CIS.  71% of the increase in the number of working-age people holding jobs went to immigrants!

The Gang of Eight immigration bill (S.744) passed last June would have roughly doubled the number of new foreign workers allowed into the country, as well as legalized illegal immigrants. Both of New Hampshire’s senators voted for it. An analysis of government data by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that since 2000, 71 percent of the net increase in the number of working-age (16 to 65) people holding a job in New Hampshire has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal) — even though the native-born accounted for 65 percent of population growth among the working-age. As a result, the share of natives holding a job in the state has declined significantly. The decline in employment has been felt primarily by natives without a college education.

[….]

Two conclusions from the state’s employment situation:

~First, the long-term decline in employment for natives in New Hampshire and the large number of working-age natives not working clearly indicates that there is no general labor shortage in the state — especially among the less educated. Thus it is very difficult to justify the large increases in foreign workers (skilled and unskilled) allowed into the country in a bill like S.744, which many of the state’s politicians support.

~Second, New Hampshire’s working-age immigrant population grew 70 percent from 2000 to 2014. Yet the number of working-age natives working in 2014 was only slightly above the number in 2000 and the share with a job actually fell. This undermines the argument that immigration on balance increases job opportunities for natives.

Read it all.

By the way, NH Senator Jeanne Shaheen voted for S.744 (amnesty) and she could have lifted a finger to help the mayor of Manchester but apparently did nothing.   I can guarantee you that if Senator Shaheen had publicly gone to bat for the Manchester mayor in his wish for a moratorium, he would have gotten it.

Nashua, NH to take 150 new refugees this year; contact the mayor!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

New Hampshire readers (others too!) need to send yesterday’s World Net Daily story to Nashua’s mayor!

Titled, ‘Another US city protests influx of refugees,’ the article (a must-read) is a broad overview of cities across America where mayors are asking questions and demanding the flow stop (or in the case of Athens, GA not even begin).  Once an agency gets a foothold, they won’t stop at 150!

This article in the Nashua Telegraph requires a subscription.  Here is a bit of it from a reader who is a subscriber.

And, LOL!, check it out, Lutheran Social Services of New England has changed its name.   By the way, this is a prime example of how these resettlement contractors (whatever they re-name themselves) overload certain cities then spread out from there.  They are running out of “welcoming” places to drop-off refugees!

Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau needs to talk to other mayors before she jumps into the frying pan. Or is it too late? Contact the mayor here: http://www.gonashua.com/CityGovernment/MayorsOffice/MayorsBiography/tabid/66/Default.aspx

NASHUA – As many as 150 refugees from Southeast Asia will arrive in Nashua soon as part of the sometimes controversial process of resettling refugees and their families within New Hampshire communities.

Three years ago, the mayor of Manchester asked officials to stop resettling families in the state’s largest city.

And just last year, Nashua’s mayor urged caution when about 50 refugees were set to come here, saying the city needed to make sure the appropriate services were in place.

“I want to make sure that the refugees that are resettled in Nashua are successful,” Lozeau said last year.

“We’ve got to make sure the school they may be going to will be prepared to assist them, that they have safe and affordable housing in a location that’s appropriate.”

Resettlement has been a coordinated effort among city services, volunteer groups and the School District, said Amy Marchildon, program director of the New Hampshire arm of refugee placement agency Ascentria Services for New Americans, formerly Lutheran Social Services of New England.

The organization works with people seeking asylum and secondary migrants, placing them primarily in Laconia, Concord and Nashua.

“There is a real network of support in social services and volunteer support … and a lot of support from the city,” Marchildon said.

Historically, Nashua has received few refugees compared with other New Hampshire communities.

Manchester has received more than 4,400 refugees since 1998, while Concord took in more than 1,600 and Laconia received nearly 500.

But the state’s second largest city took in only 218 refugees during that time, according to resettlement figures from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Lozeau said city agencies have come together to meet the impending influx of refugees.

There is more to the news, but you may have to subscribe to get it.

See our very extensive archive on New Hampshire by clicking here.  See also this June 2013 post where the Office of Refugee Resettlement already said that New Hampshire had “pockets of resistance.”  I wonder, did ORR send “Welcoming America” to Nashua?