Tag: North Dakota

North Dakota Republican Governor is a Definite Yes for More Refugees

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Because of the national attention Burleigh County’s Monday meeting was generating, the governor obviously went to the Administration to get clarification on how the process works and I want to comment on a few items he posted from the governor’s office.

But, he hadn’t gotten the clarification when he sent his letter supporting the program way back on November 19th in which he says they are happily integrating their refugees into their workforce.

White House clarifies proposed figures for refugee resettlement as local jurisdictions weigh consent

Forbes calls Governor Doug Burgum ‘America’s Best Entrepreneurial Governor’ https://www.forbes.com/sites/richkarlgaard/2017/06/13/americas-best-entrepreneurial-governor/#33d337087f21

Here are a few points I want to highlight this morning from what the governor reports.

First, he got clarification that under the new Trump resettlement program this same process will be used every year, and each year the local community and the governor must consent.

The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs confirmed that local jurisdictions will need to consent every year for refugee resettlement to continue.

He learned that in addition to the 18,000 cap on the regular refugee program for fiscal year 2020 (which began on October 1, 2019) there will be 10,000 additional special refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq (virtually all Muslims we surmise) who supposedly helped our military in some way or other.

They are treated as refugees with all the social service benefits refugees receive, but with one important exception—they can go anywhere in America they wish.  Regular refugees are placed by contractors*** in the locations they choose.

The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs also stated that up to 10,000 Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders – individuals who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in either Iraq or Afghanistan – are eligible for reception and placement services through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Unlike refugees, SIV holders can choose where to settle in the United States. LSS is allowed to provide services to SIV holders and has served up to 21 annually since 2016, though none were served in 2019, according to the agency, which includes SIV holders in its reported total for refugee resettlements.

Then he did confirm why Republicans like himself support the flow of low-skilled refugees to America—because their state business interests want the low wage workers.  And, because they don’t want any global corporations that might be eyeing ND to think the state is filled with bigoted hateful people. (He doesn’t say that, but that is what he means.)

“We support the administration giving states and local jurisdictions the consent authority on whether to continue receiving refugees, and we respect the right to exercise local control,” Burgum said. “That being said, we have serious concerns that denying resettlement to a handful of well-vetted and often family-connected refugees would send a negative signal beyond our borders at a time when North Dakota is facing a severe workforce shortage and trying to attract capital and talent to our state.”

Never mind that those low-skilled refugees earning low wages will need taxpayer-funded services and will eventually vote the Republicans out of office.

North Dakota is done for now, but you will have another shot at it later this year as the feds prepare for fiscal year 2021 that begins on October first of 2020!   Assuming he runs again, Burgum will be up for re-election at that same time.

For others of you….

Shame on You if You Don’t Take 15 Minutes to Do This!

 

This post is filed in my ‘Where to find information category’ where all of my recent posts on this make-or-break issue may be found.

Also, see my archive on North Dakota.

For many years, it has seen a lot of controversy over refugee resettlement.  I just was reminded when I scanned my posts on the state that the Somali knife attacker in St. Cloud in 2016 was a refugee originally resettled in Fargo, ND

 

***For new readers these (below) are the nine refugee contractors that monopolize all refugee placement in America.  For decades they have decided in secrecy where to place refugees and they don’t want to lose that power because even as they pontificate about their religious convictions and humanitarian zeal, they are Leftwing political groups working to change America by changing the people and using your money to do it!

If 16 Governors have Already Said YES to More Refugees, then Some are Hiding from the Media

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 5 Comments

Just now I reported on how the New York Times covered the Burleigh County North Dakota hearing and vote on whether that county would say yes, or no, to MORE refugees in the coming year.

A few paragraphs near the end of the biased report, which never mentions that the ‘religious’ groups placing refugees are actually federal contractors*** paid to place them in almost all states, jumped out at me.

Jenny Yang, lobbyist for World Relief, one of the nine contractors that monopolize all refugee placement in America, is lobbying governors.

Jenny Yang, working for the refugee contracting agency World Relief says 16 governors have already opted-in and told the State Department that they want MORE poor people for their state to take care of.

I’ve been following closely and so far media reports indicate only these states are in:

Pennsylvania

Oregon

Utah (R)

Washington

Virginia

New Hampshire (R)

North Dakota (?)(R)

Kansas

Arizona (R)

I guess you all need to find out if your governor has quietly opted-in without any public mention (that is, in secrecy).

From the New York Times:

Jenny Yang, vice president for advocacy at World Relief, an evangelical agency whose work includes resettlement, has been steering an effort to lobby governors to keep their states open to refugees.

She said about 16 governors have submitted written consent, six of them Republicans. Gov. Doug Ducey, Republican of Arizona, agreed after receiving a letter supporting resettlement signed by 250 evangelical leaders. Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican of Texas, who leads the state that received the most refugees last year, has not yet offered his view, despite a plea from the mayor of Fort Worth to continue accepting refugees.

As I have been saying, they are gunning for Gov. Abbott of Texas.  Sure hope you Texans are telling the governor what you think.

Since Texas is the top resettlement state in the nation and has been for several years, Abbott could easily say—we need a breather to assimilate those we have ‘welcomed’ for the last decade!

 

***For new readers these (below) are the nine refugee contractors that monopolize all refugee placement in America.  For decades they have decided in secrecy where to place refugees and they don’t want to lose that power because even as they pontificate about their religious convictions and humanitarian zeal, they are Leftwing political groups working to change America by changing the people and using your money to do it!

North Dakota’s Burleigh County Says Yes to More Refugees, Sets a Cap

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

In a packed meeting room, County Commissioners in Bismarck, voted 3-2 to ‘welcome’ more impoverished refugees to the county in the coming year—25 total they say.

As the country watched (even the NY Times was watching) the county leaders took a wishy-washy middle of the road position because as far as I know there is no rule or regulation that lets them set a cap.

Once you agree to take in third worlders from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a county can’t dictate numbers or select refugees by ethnicity or religion.

 

Although their decision was not exactly overwhelming, the fact that this county commission actually held a hearing to take the pulse of the community is very significant. All across the country governors and local elected officials are deciding behind closed doors.  Demand public hearings!

 

Here is a brief story from local KFYR-TV:

Burleigh County Commission vote to allow refugee resettlement in 3-2 decision

BREAKING: Burleigh County commissioners vote to allow refugee resettlement with a cap of 25 for next year after a four hour hearing.

Both sides of the issue voiced opinions and addressed the commissioners.

Commissioners include Brian Bitner, Jerry Woodcox, Mark Armstrong, Kathleen Jones and Jim Peluso.

Peluso and Bitner voted no.

The option surfaced after President Donald Trump issued an executive order allowing local governments to make their own decisions.

Cass County recently voted to accept refugees.

 

For a more complete and incredibly biased report see the New York Times story from overnight.  As always there is absolutely no mention that the do-gooder Lutherans who resettle refugees in ND are paid, as federal contractors, to place the refugees throughout North Dakota.

The NYT reports that Burleigh County Commissioner Bitner did not even know that refugees were being placed in the county demonstrating that this program operates in SECRECY whenever the contractors can get away with it.

The NYT does point out some pitfalls we see with the President’s approach when he opened this can of worms. (Don’t get me wrong, chaos/confusion is a good thing politically !)

There is one very bright side all of you need to note:  the process is forcing state and local elected officials who have been happy to hide behind the mantra—this decision of where refugees are placed is a federal decision—to go on the record for all voters to see who is friend or foe on the issue of our time.

I see the vote for more refugees as a proxy vote for more immigration across the board.

You can read the whole NYT story yourself, here.

LOL! One thing jumped out at me and that was that although the reporter calls the President, President Trump, once at the beginning of the story.  In four additional references he is relegated to “Mr. Trump.”

Mr. Obama is referred to as “President Barack Obama” (not former President…).

Shame on You if You Don’t Take 15 Minutes to Do This!

This post is filed in my ‘Where to find information category’ where all of my recent posts on this make-or-break issue may be found.

See the right hand side bar for the governors who have caved already and told the President that they want more impoverished refugees placed in their (your!) state.

The NYT says 16 governors have sent letters, if that is true they are keeping their mouths shut in the media.

If you are contacting elected officials please send me feedback at refugeewatcher@gmail.com

North Dakota: Will Burleigh County Vote for Unspecified Number of Refugees in Coming Years

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

I told you here last week about how county commissioners in Burleigh County (Bismarck), ND had postponed a decision about whether the county would ‘welcome’ refugees or not after President Trump has gone out on a political limb to invite states and mostly counties to say whether they want more refugees (or not) now, and into the foreseeable future.

(Have you taken 15 minutes to make your calls?)

Commissioner Brian Bitner

So many people turned out at the meeting that the decision was postponed, but will be on the agenda tomorrow night in Bismarck.

One of the smartest things I’ve heard from any elected official is this from Commissioner Chairman Brian Bitner:

“I haven’t seen anything in this package, anywhere, that tells me that we’re consenting to five or 50 or 500 or anything. So North Dakota is already the highest per capita state for refugee resettlement in terms of number of citizens, so in the absence of any sort of number, there’s no way we could know the cost to the state or the county, and I simply can’t support that,” said Bitner.

And there won’t be any number given in advance!

When a governor or local elected official sends permission to the US State Department it is an open-ended invitation for any number from anywhere in the world.

It also signals that the state and local government agree to take on the financial burden of the social service costs refugees rack up.  (State and local taxpayers carry most of the tax burden for their care as the federal government has over time shifted the cost to the states.)

That 50-100 mile radius issue!

So, know this, if Burleigh County says yes tomorrow night they are saying yes for placement of third worlders in any location within a hundred miles of the county.

I couldn’t do what some Tennesseans did (draw circles on a map), but I did find a radius calculating tool and this is what I learned.

If you can’t read the small print:

This region includes 22 counties: Burleigh, ND; Dunn, ND; Emmons, ND; Foster, ND; Grant, ND; Hettinger, ND; Kidder, ND; Logan, ND; McHenry, ND; McIntosh, ND; McLean, ND; Mercer, ND; Morton, ND; Oliver, ND; Sheridan, ND; Sioux, ND… plus 6 more counties.

So all of you who live within a hundred miles, know that you are not off the hook!

Refugee advocates in ND are claiming that incoming refugee numbers are so low under Trump that there won’t be that many coming to Burleigh County anyway.  Those refugee promoters also say Bismarck needs more diversity!

Stop and think!  When Trump is no longer in the White House, the refugee spigot is going to be opened wide and your county will have said—bring ’em in!

Here is the news about the meeting tomorrow night.  If you live in Bismarck  or anywhere within a hundred miles try to get there!

Even if you can’t beat Open Borders Inc, you can at least show up and thank the President for giving you an opportunity to help decide the future of your community.

Burleigh County to Hold Special Refugee Resettlement Meeting

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota county will hold a special meeting next week to take comments on whether it should resettle additional refugees.

Burleigh County commissioners postponed action on the matter at a meeting Monday after an overflow crowd showed up to address the issue.

A recent executive order by President Donald Trump stated that new efforts to resettle refugees would have to receive permission from state and local governments. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced last month that the state would continue to receive refugees as long as local governments agreed.

The public will be able to voice opinions Dec. 9 on whether to allow Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota to continue resettling refugees in the county. Commissioners could vote on the matter at the special meeting Monday.

The Cass County Commission voted unanimously Monday to allow Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota to continue its refugee resettlement program.

This post is filed in my “Where to find information” category here.  Find recent posts about the President’s Executive Order archived there.

Oh, and did I ask:

Have you taken 15 minutes to make your calls?

North Dakota: Cass County Caves to Lutheran Refugee Contractor; Votes for More Refugees

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 3 Comments

But, continue reading!  There is good news too!  Wait for it!

Remember that I told you here that North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum went down the wimpy middle and said the state would take more refugees if local jurisdictions agreed.  So it looks like Cass County has given the governor his green light.

Read all about it here.

Cass County Commissioners Vote Yes to Refugee Resettlement

Unless the governor changes his mind, North Dakota taxpayers will be continuing to prop up a 4-decades-old federal program that was never supposed to be a burden on local and state taxpaying citizens.

If you are a new reader, be sure to see an important post yesterday where I explain what the Open Borders Left is doing to smash the President’s September Executive Order that gives state and local government an opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of being a refugee placement city or county.

Now to some good news!

Cass County might have caved, but the citizens of Bismarck came out in force to urge their county commission to say NO! to more refugees and the commissioners decided to postpone the decision.

Before I give you the news, know that it was 11 degrees in Bismarck last night!  Can you pull this off where you live?

So many people came out to oppose more refugees in Burleigh County that the Commissioners postponed their vote! https://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Full-house-at-Burleigh-Commission-meeting-Refugee-Resettlement-decision-postponed-565717621.html

From KXNET:

Decision On Refugee Consent Delayed

BISMARCK — People came from all over Monday evening in the hopes of making their voice heard to the Burleigh County Commission.

Bismarck Mayor Steve Bakken was in attendance.

With a heavy police presence, you could feel the tension in the air as most of the crowd was there to convince the commission to vote against giving consent to Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota for a refugee settlement.

The consent is necessary after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September that requires state and local governments to give consent to whether they will accept refugees or not.

Some people KX News spoke with did not want that to happen.

“124 people statewide does not have an impact, however, if the 124 do a chain migration that could easily be 1,200. And in a state of 750,000 people, 1,200 is a lot,” said local resident Phillip Cohen, who’s against allowing the consent.

The problem was so many people turned up to the meeting, they couldn’t fit everyone inside, so in the interest of fairness, the commission decided to table the matter until a larger venue could be secured in the near future.

County Commission Chairman Brian Bitner

Brian Bitner is the chair of the commission and said he also has reservations about granting the consent for financial reasons.

“I haven’t seen anything in this package, anywhere, that tells me that we’re consenting to five or 50 or 500 or anything. So North Dakota is already the highest per capita state for refugee resettlement in terms of number of citizens, so in the absence of any sort of number, there’s no way we could know the cost to the state or the county, and I simply can’t support that,” said Bitner.

Opponents of the news said an increase in refugees could lead to a drain on government services and an increase in crime, something the pro-refugee crowd overwhelmingly denied.

[….]

But with no decision Monday, the clock is ticking, because agencies must submit their written consent by Jan. 21 or lose federal funds that could be used to reunite families and place refugees in places with jobs, and other supportive means.

More here.

As for the January 21 deadline, it is for the nine resettlement contractors and their subcontractors to have their plans submitted to the US State Department in order to get their federal funding.  At that time they need to have written permission from the governor and from the county government, or the city (if applicable), in hand.

(See the US State Department’s funding guidance here.)

They are shooting to get those approvals by Christmas, so you must get moving where you live!  As I’ll tell you in an upcoming post, the Leftwing refugee contractors and others in the Open Borders movement are putting every county in play!  (Not just those with existing sites, like these.)

This is not just a bureaucratic exercise! 

The Left has made it into a referendum on Donald Trump’s refugee policies in an election year.  The President is correct that state’s can choose whether to be a resettlement state or not. For us it is a referendum on state’s rights and whether local citizens will have a say in whether their communities will be changed (forever!).