Tag: Refugee resettlement contractors

Ohio: Refugee Agencies Scramble to Get COVID-19 Warnings to Those Who Don’t Speak English

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

“Advocates for immigrants and refugees say about 200 languages are spoken in the state.”

 

There are nearly 7,000 distinct languages in the world. Lucky Ohio has only 200! https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/how-many-languages-are-there-world

Some refugees are in America for years and never learn to speak English, and indeed many arrive in America unable to read in their own language, so now refugee resettlement agencies are scrambling to get out instructions to immigrant communities while they close their own doors to avoid face to face contact with their “clients.”

So much for diversity bringing strength!

Here is a story explaining the problem in Ohio. It is from The Columbus Dispatch:

Language a barrier in getting coronavirus information to all

Those who don’t speak English may have trouble getting updates about what coronavirus is and its spread. Local and state immigrant and refugee advocates are working to get resources to people in the language they speak and read.

As many Americans try to absorb all the information they can on the coronavirus and its spread in Ohio, some are left out of the conversation entirely.

Advocates for immigrants and refugees say about 200 languages are spoken in the state, and many of those advocates are working to make sure the individuals who speak those languages can get information about the rapidly spreading virus in ways they can understand.

[….]

Advocates aren’t the only ones trying to make sure that everyone is reached.

The Ohio Department of Health is linking to CDC resources in other languages on its website, coronavirus.ohio.gov, spokeswoman Melanie Amato said. The agency is also reaching out to local organizations for translation resources and the Ohio Hispanic Coalition is working to translate press releases.

[….]

US Together is a Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Subcontractor. https://www.ustogether.us

At US Together, a local refugee resettlement agency, staff members began being trained last week on how to prepare themselves and their clients for the virus, Emily Locke, a communications specialist with US Together, said in an email.

The training focused on what the virus is, how it spreads and which communities are vulnerable. They also addressed how to identify symptoms, prevent the virus and prepare food and supplies to deal with the outbreak.

On Monday, the resettlement agency closed its offices to the public and said its employees will work with clients by phone, email and other technology.  [So much for looking out for the newly arrived refugees!—ed]

More here.

By the way, yesterday I wondered if refugee agency volunteers were still meeting refugees at airports (new refugees were arriving up to last Thursday), but it sure looks like either the State Department has now wisely cut off the flow of new arrivals or those that do arrive are on their own!

Top Ten Languages spoken by refugees arriving in America.  

It’s been a long time since I reported on this information available at the Refugee Processing Center.  This is a good time to tell you about it.

Don’t forget!  According to a Clinton-era Executive Order your local and state governments are on the hook for the cost of interpreters.

(By the way, the growing cost of interpreter services, especially involving medical services, is something I never see calculated in any economic study of whether immigrants/refugees benefit the economy.)

 

 

Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken in East Africa.  Kinyarwanda is a Rwandan language. Sgaw Karen is a Burmese language.

For my recent posts on COVID-19 see that I have a tag for it.

 

Editor’s note:  As RRW approaches its 13th birthday, there are over 10,000 posts archived here at Refugee Resettlement Watch. Unfortunately, it is just me here with no staff and so it has become virtually impossible to answer all of the basic questions that come into my e-mail inbox or to RRW’s facebook page every day. I don’t want to appear rude—I simply haven’t enough hours in the day.

Please take time to visit RRW (don’t just read posts in your e-mail) and use the search window in the right hand sidebar and see if you can find the information you need.  Also see my series that I wrote in recent months entitled Knowledge is Power which explains some basic principles of how Refugee Resettlement is carried out in the US.

And, lastly, I don’t write that much every day, so if you made a habit of reading my posts here on a daily basis, you would eventually catch on to what is happening because I do link back to previous posts as much as possible. LOL!  Thank you for helping me not go crazy!

 

Justice Department Appeals Ruling from Pro-Refugee Judge

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I just want you to know that the US Justice Department, as expected, does not agree with the liberal Judge in Maryland and is appealing his order for the President to stop his effort to reform the US Refugee Admissions Program by allowing local communities and governors to have a say in whether refugees would be placed in their states/counties later in fiscal year 2020.

Wouldn’t you think that the refugee contractors that brought the lawsuit in the first place would like to know in which communities more refugees are welcome or conversely not so welcome. 

They are always yapping about how they want refugees to be placed only in those communities where they have the best chance of  “thriving,” yet they apparently don’t really want to know which communities those are!

 

The groups (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Church World Service) that organized this anti-Trump protest at the White House in 2018 want to continue to make the decisions about which communities will ‘welcome’ refugees and Judge Messitte agrees!  https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2018/01/28/church-world-service-and-hias-join-cair-to-protest-at-white-house/

 

I’m thinking that is because they are working on a long term plan to change America by changing the people, and shoving diversity down everyone’s throats is really the aim—the more resistant your community the more enjoyable the target for them!

I digress, here is the news.  Don’t ask me to predict what this means for the reforms that would have gone into effect June 1.

In the meantime, refugees will be placed as they always have been—by the nine contractors (including the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Church World Service and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service that brought the suit)*** in secret discussions with bureaucrats in the State Department.

From the Associated Press:

Feds Appeal Order Blocking Trump Refugee Resettlement Limit

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — The federal government is appealing a judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order allowing state and local governments to turn away refugees from resettling in their jurisdictions.

Clinton Judge Peter Messitte is old, 78 (heck he looks older than that)! If we keep Donald Trump in the White House for 4 more years maybe he and his ilk will be replaced!

A notice of appeal filed Tuesday by the Justice Department says it is asking the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the Jan. 15 ruling by U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte in Maryland.

Messitte said in his 31-page opinion that the order signed by President Donald Trump “flies in the face of clear Congressional intent” of the 1980 Refugee Act.

The Judge says unelected, non-profit groups should continue to decide the future of your communities!  You (deplorables) are not permitted to have a say!

Messitte said the process of resettling refugees should continue as it has for nearly 40 years, with resettlement agencies deciding where a person would best thrive.

Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and HIAS — a Jewish nonprofit — sued in November to block the executive order.

The judge granted their request for a preliminary injunction that preserves the status quo while the lawsuit is pending in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Trump’s order, which was issued in September and had been set to go into effect in June, required agencies to get written consent from state and local officials before resettling refugees in their jurisdictions. Trump said he acted to respect communities that believe they do not have the jobs or other resources to be able to take in refugees.

The agencies said the executive order was an attempt at a state-by-state ban on refugees. Messitte agreed, writing, “It grants them veto power. Period.”

Continue reading here.

 

*** For new readers these (below) are the nine federally-funded refugee contractors that operate as a huge conveyor belt monopolizing all refugee placement and choosing which lucky towns and cities will be ‘welcoming’ refugees.

Church World Service one of the ‘religious charities’ responsible for changing America by changing the people with a ‘Christian message.’

And, they do not limit their advocacy toward only legal immigration programs, but are heavily involved in supporting the lawlessness at our borders.

The question isn’t as much about refugees per se, but about who is running federal immigration policy now and into the future?

(I’ve been remiss in posting my nine contractors spiel for days!)

 

I continue to argue that these nine contractors are the heart of America’s Open Borders movement and thus there can never be long-lasting reform of US immigration policy when these nine un-elected phony non-profits are paid by the taxpayers to work as community organizers pushing an open borders agenda.

 

USCRI Who? This Refugee Resettlement Agency is Laying Low, and Doing Well

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 3 Comments

I’ve been noticing the absence of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), one of the top nine federal contractors***, in all the anti-Trump media hubbub and wondered if they were shrinking financially and therefore laying low to stay out of Trump’s line of sight.

So I checked today, and guess what?

USCRI is approximately 96% federally funded, and…..

They are doing financially better under the Trump Administration than they ever did in the Obama years. 

But, before I give you the data, let me tell you how much controversy they stirred over the years.

Memory lane:

Former USCRI CEO Lavinia Limon with Chobani CEO at the Clinton Global Initiative (all you need to know!).

Longtime readers may remember the huge controversy in Twin Falls, Idaho that I wrote about extensively for months that involved USCRI’s subcontractor there.  It revolved around Chobani Yogurt’s hunger for refugee labor and came to a media explosion over the sexual abuse of a child by refugee boys.

Then there was USCRI’s effort to open a new office in Rutland, VT that ended in failure when citizens rose up, protested, and threw out the ‘welcoming’ mayor.

Earlier I reported on the mess USCRI was embroiled in in Bowling Green, KY when Burmese refugees were placed in substandard housing.

(Here I am going to urge readers to use the search window top right at RRW and enter key words to find out more about Twin Falls, Rutland, Bowling Green, Lavinia Limon, Eskinder Negash etc. and save me some work putting in a zillion links!)

One point on the issue of subcontractors: 

Someone knowledgeable about the big nine recently mentioned that local agencies don’t have the same name sometimes as their parent organization.  Exactly right! Whether they do that on purpose I don’t know, but for those of you wanting to better understand how secretive this program is, that is one important piece of evidence.

Hundreds of subcontractors work for the big nine and those nine move federal funding to their subcontractors usually referred to as affiliates.

They have been wailing and moaning about having to close offices in the Trump era, apparently Trump isn’t hurting USCRI.

Go here to see USCRI’s affiliates:

 

Revolving door!

Also, USCRI is notable as a prime example of the revolving door between government contractors and the agencies from which the organization gets most of its funding.

Both USCRI’s previous CEO Lavinia Limon (headed Clinton’s Office of Refugee Resettlement) and its present CEO Eskinder Negash (headed Obama’s ORR) revolved in and out of government.  Both have done very well themselves in the process as you will see below.

First, here is the stunning financial information at USA Spending.  (I told readers how to use the invaluable site in Knowledge is Power V.)

Remember that we are only 4 months into FY2020 and that is why that number is so low. So check back in September.

 

Looking at the most recently available IRS Form 990, we can say that USCRI is 96% federally funded—that is funded by you, the US taxpayer!

That means they are acting like a government agency but without any of the checks and balances of a federal agency. For example you can’t use the Freedom of Information Act to get information out of a ‘non-profit.’

Check out the 6-figure salaries you pay!  Some are higher than US Senators or Supreme Court Justices!

Ms. Limon is gone, but apparently not at the time this Form990 was filed. By the way the next page lists four additional employees making above six-figures. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/131/878/2018-131878704-1108fd6f-9.pdf

 

See all of my Knowledge is Power series.

*** Here are the nine major federal refugee contractors.  I’ve analyzed five so far including USCRI today and only the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken a serious budgetary hit under the Trump Administration.  Congress and the Deep staters are making sure these fake non-profits are staying in the black.

So far only the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has seen a significant decline in its federal funding.  In fact the three who recently sued to stop the Trump refugee reform effort—Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and HIAS—are doing very well.  Now we know that USCRI is doing exceedingly well.

I will work on the remaining four in the coming days and weeks.

I continue to argue that these nine contractors are the heart of America’s Open Borders movement and thus there can never be long-lasting reform of US immigration policy when these nine un-elected phony non-profits are paid by the taxpayers to work as community organizers pushing an open borders agenda.

 

Montana Mayor Apologizes for Signing onto Appeal for 95,000 Refugees for 2020

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

I guess he got an earful from Montana citizens!

You can see Mayor Kelly’s apology on Facebook, along with many comments here: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1599690420155315&id=321698611287842

In case you are wondering, Mayor Bob Kelly didn’t send a letter to the US State Department in response to the President’s reform effort that we have been writing about almost daily, but had earlier joined a list (apparently still growing) of elected officials across 46 states which were demanding that the President admit 95,000 refugees in FY2020 before he actually set the ceiling at 18,000.

[Don’t forget, Democrat candidates for President are saying they want over 100,000. Biden says 125,000 and Warren says 175,000.  Bernie is vague but does say he wants at least 50,000 climate refugees alone in his mix.]

However it seems that the list that I published here last September, which at the time had 361 officials requesting 95,000 refugees, is making the rounds and I saw it again a couple of days ago with 400 listed!

See Welcome Refugees!

 

Look around and see what jumps out at you.

There is no contact information to indicate who is behind the effort.  I presume it is the nine federal refugee contractors or its lobbying arm—the Refugee Council USA—but no where is there any information that would guide elected officials when making a decision to sign on.

Even before I saw Mayor Kelly’s mea culpa I wondered who would be so irresponsible to sign this letter without any information on who is pushing it?

As I did in September, I am publishing the whole list below as a useful guide (in case it disappears) in helping you decide who to work to remove from office!

By the way, in 2017 there was much talk about China (yes, the country of China!) opening a meatpacking plant in Montana, but I have no idea if that played at all into the mayor’s thinking when he signed onto the letter in support of more refugees (more low-skilled laborers).

Here is the headline from the Great Falls Tribune:

Mayor apologizes after signing letter to Trump in support of refugees

Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly apologized Wednesday for a letter he signed last year asking President Donald Trump to support an increase in the number of refugees allowed to settle in the United States.

While Kelly said that he remains deeply concerned about displaced people in the world, including 25 million refugees, he apologized for using the mayor’s office to support the cause.

“I realize, however, that as mayor of our community, it may not be a concern you share,” Kelly wrote to residents in a post on his mayor’s Facebook page. “By implying your inclusion in my concern, I misrepresented you. For that, I am sorry. As mayor of our wonderful community, I try very hard to navigate only toward local issues or state issues that affect local communities. The national issues that currently divide us deserve little, if any role in our decision-making process at the local level.”

Here we are, just what I wanted to know.  The federal refugee contractors are behind the effort to ‘out’ supporters of more refugees for your towns and cities.

Soft Landing Missoula, which assists refugees in resettling in the western Montana community, asked Kelly to support the national effort.

Soft Landing is a subcontractor of the International Rescue Committee.

Located in Missoula, Soft Landing is 165 miles from Great Falls which means that they have aspirations for expansion beyond their Missoula home base.

More here.

See my rather extensive Montana archive for more on what has been happening there on the contentious issue of refugees.

Did your elected officials sign on?

Go here and see that they (whoever they are!) say they plan to continue to update the list and reissue it as one more bit of news presumably with which to bash the President in advance of the 2020 Presidential contest.

LOL! Wait a few days, refresh the list,  and see if Mayor Kelly’s name is removed.

You might want to compare lists, see the list I published in September. Is your elected official a newbie to the list?

Alabama
Neil Rafferty, State Representative, Birmingham

Alaska
Andrew Josephson, State Representative, Anchorage

Arizona
Ylenia Aguilar, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lela Alston, State Senator, Phoenix
Richard Andrade, State Representative, Phoenix
Isela Blanc, State Representative, Tempe
Andres Cano, State Representative, Tucson
Steven Chapman, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Cesar Chavez, State Representative, Phoenix
Andrea Dalessandro, State Senator, Green Valley
Devin Del Palacio, Tolleson Union School District Governing Board Member, Tolleson
Elora Diaz, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Kirsten Engel, State Representative, Tucson
Diego Espinoza, State Representative, Phoenix
Charlene Fernandez, State Representative, Yuma
Rosanna Gabaldon, State Representative, Phoenix
Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix
Carlos Garcia, District 8 Councilmember, Phoenix
Betty Guardado, District 5 City Councilwoman, Phoenix
Berdetta Hodge, Tempe Union Governing Board President, Tempe
Lauren Kuby, Vice Mayor, Tempe
Jennifer Longdon, State Representative, Phoenix
Juan Mendez, State Senator, Tempe
Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete, State Senator, Phoenix
Katie Paetz, Osborn School Board Member, Phoenix
Channel Powe, Balsz School District Governing Board President, Phoenix
Pamela Powers Hannley, State Representative, Phoenix
Stanford Prescott, Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Martín Quezada, State Senator, Phoenix
Rebecca Rios, State Senator, Phoenix
Tony Rivero, State Representative, Phoenix
Diego Rodriguez, State Representative, Laveen
Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor, Tucson
Athena Salman, House Minority Whip, Tempe
Victoria Steele, State Senator, Phoenix
Monica Trejo, School Board Member, Tempe
Raquel Teran, State Representative, Phoenix

Arkansas
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor, Fayetteville
Sarah Marsh, Vice Mayor and City Council Member, Fayetteville
Teresa Turk, City Council Member, Fayetteville

California
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles
Ben Allen, State Senator, Santa Monica
Tom Butt, Mayor, Richmond
Bob Blumenfield, City Councilmember, Los Angeles
Laura Friedman, Assemblymember, Glendale
Paul Koretz, City Councilmember, Los Angeles
Sheila Kuehl,  County Supervisor, Los Angeles
Marc Levine, Assemblymember, San Rafael
Don Saylor, County Supervisor, Yolo County
Scott Wiener, State Senator, San Francisco

Colorado
Michael Hancock, Mayor, Denver
KC Becker, State Representative, Boulder
Kendra Black, City Councilwoman, Denver
Candie CdeBaca, City Councilmember, Denver
Jolon Clark, City Councilmember, Denver
Monica Duran, State Representative, Denver
Stephen Fenberg, State Senator, Boulder
Kevin Flynn, City Council Member, Denver
Stacie Gilmore, City Councilmember, Denver
Julie Gonzalez, State Senator, Denver
Leslie Herod, State Representative, Denver
Nicole Johnston, City Council Member, Aurora
Paul Kashmann, City Councilmember, Denver
Robin Kniech, City Councilwoman-at-Large, Denver
Dominick Moreno, State Senator, Commerce City
Deborah Ortega, City Councilmember-at-Large, Denver
Adam Paul, Mayor, Lakewood
Jamie Torres, City Councilwoman, Denver
Amanda Sandoval, City Councilmember, Denver
Amanda Sawyer, City Councilwoman, Denver
Dave Young, Colorado State Treasurer, Greeley

Connecticut
Matt Blumenthal, State Representative, Stamford
Raghib Allie-Brennan, State Representative, Bethel
Robin E. Comey, State Representative, Branford
Hacibey Catalbasoglu, Alderman, New Haven
Patricia Dillon, State Representative, New Haven
Josh Elliott, State Representative, Hamden
Roland Lemar, State Representative, New Haven
Matthew Lesser, State Senator, Middletown
Robyn Porter, State Representative, New Haven

District of Columbia
Muriel Bowser, Mayor
Brianne Nadeau, Councilmember
Elissa Silverman, At-Large Councilmember

Delaware
Rysheema Dixon, City Council Member-at-Large, Wilmington
Linda Gray, 1st District Councilwoman, Wilmington
Debra Heffernan, State Representative, Wilmington
Hanifa Shabazz, City Council President, Wilmington

Florida
Buddy Dyer, Mayor, Orlando
Trish Becker, County Commissioner, St. Augustine
Erica Connor, Supervisor, Ponte Vedra Beach
Nicholas Duran, State Representative, Miami
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Orlando
Kristin Jacobs, State Representative, Coconut Creek
Al Jacquet, State Representative, Mangonia
Evan Jenne, State Representative, Hollywood
Shevrin Jones, State Representative, West Park
Dotie Joseph, State Representative, Miami
Amy Mercado, State Representative, Orlando
Cindy Polo, State Representative, Hialeah
Carlos Guillermo Smith, State Representative, Orlando
Victor Torres, State Senator, Kissimmee

Georgia
Yterenickia Bell, City Council Member, Clarkston
Anthony S. Ford, Mayor, Stockbridge
Patti Garrett, Mayor, Decatur
Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, East Point
Ted Terry, Mayor, Clarkston

Idaho
David Bieter, Mayor, Boise
Cherie Buckner-Webb, State Senator, Boise
Mathew Erpelding, State Representative, Boise
Maryanne Jordan, State Senator, Boise
Mark Nye, State Senator, Pocatello

Illinois
Lori Lightfoot, Mayor, Chicago
Alma Anaya, County Commissioner, Cook County
Luis Arroyo Jr., County Commissioner, Cook County
Scott Britton, County Commissioner, Cook County
James Cappleman, Alderman, Chicago
Kelly Cassidy, State Representative, Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Treasurer, Chicago
John Cullerton, Illinois Senate President, Chicago
John P. Daley, County Commissioner, Cook County
Bridget Degnen, County Commissioner, Cook County
Sara Feigenholtz, State Representative, Chicago
Laura Fine, State Senator, Glenview
Robyn Gabel, State Representative, Evanston
Will Guzzardi, State Representative, Chicago
Maria Hadden, Alderwoman, Chicago
Brandon Johnson, County Commissioner,  Cook County
Matt Martin, Alderman, Chicago
Donna Miller, County Commissioner, Cook County
Kevin B. Morrison, County Commissioner, Cook County
Harry Osterman, Alderman, Chicago
Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County
Debra Silverstein, Alderman, Chicago
Peter N. Silvestri, County Commissioner, Cook County
Deborah Sims, County Commissioner, Cook County
Michele Smith, Alderman, Chicago
Larry Suffredin, County Commissioner, Cook County
Anna Valencia, City Clerk, Chicago
George Van Dusen, Mayor, Skokie
Daniel Diedech, State Representative, Buffalo Grove

Indiana
John Hamilton, Mayor, Bloomington
Zach Adamson, City County Councilor, Indianapolis
Brian Wagner, Lafayette School Corporation Board of Trustees, Lafeyette

Iowa
Marti Anderson, State Representative, Des Moines
Art Staed, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Stacey Walker, County Commissioner, Linn County

Kansas
Brandon Johnson, City Council Member, Wichita
Mary Ware, State Senator, Wichita

Kentucky
Logan Nance, City Council Member, Midway
Kathy Plomin, City Council Member, Lexington
Susan Westrom, State Representative, Lexington

Louisiana
Erika L. Green, City Councilwoman, Baton Rouge

Maine
Pious Ali, Council Member At-Large, Portland
Kristen S. Cloutier, Mayor, Lewiston

Maryland
Malcolm Augustine, State Senator, Hyattsville
Brian Feldman, State Senator, Annapolis
Jessica Feldmark, State Delegate, Columbia
Dannielle Glaros, County Council Member, Prince George’s County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, State Delegate, Chevy Chase
Edouard Haba, City Councilman, Hyattsville
Julian Ivey, State Delegate, Cheverly
David Moon, State Delegate, Silver Spring
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, State Delegate, College Park
Paul Pinsky, State Senator, Hyattsville
Jeffrey Slavin, Mayor, Somerset
Kate Stewart, Mayor, Takoma Park
Deni Taveras, County Council Member, Prince George’s County
Rocio Treminio-Lopez, Mayor, Brentwood
Jeff Waldstreicher, State Senator, Annapolis
Jheanelle Wilkins, State Delegate, Silver Spring
Patrick L. Wojahn, Mayor and Council, College Park

Massachusetts
Harriette Chandler, State Senator, Worcester
Annie Gilbert, Selectwoman, Andover
Laura Gregory, Selectwoman, Andover
Daniel Koh, Select Board Member, Andover
Alex Morse, Mayor, Holyoke
David J. Narkewicz, Mayor, Northampton
Tram Nguyen, State Representative, Andover
Denise Provost, State Representative, Somerville
William Reichelt, Mayor, West Springfield
Shannon Scully, School Committee Member, Andover
Jeffrey Thielman, School Committee Member, Arlington
Holly Vietzke-Lynch, School Committee Member, North Andover

Michigan
Christopher Taylor, Mayor, Ann Arbor
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, Grand Rapids
Raquel Castañeda-López, City Council Member, Detroit
Stephanie Chang, State Senator, Detroit
Abdullah Hammoud, State Representative, Dearborn
Brandon Haskell, County Commissioner, Eaton County
Kara Hope, State Representative, Holt
Ruth Kelly, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
David LaGrand, State Representative, Grand Rapids
Steven Maas, Mayor, Grandville
Karen Majewski, Mayor, Hamtramck
Kurt Metzger, Mayor, Pleasant Ridge
Kurt Reppart, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Robert Wittenberg, State Representative, Huntington Woods
Jack Eaton, City Council Member, Ann Arbor

Minnesota
Tim Walz, Governor, Minnesota
Melvin Carter, Mayor, St. Paul
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis
Andrew Johnson, City Council Member, Minneapolis
Jennifer Julsrud, City Councilmember, Duluth
Fue Lee, State Representative, St. Paul
John Lesch, State Representative, St. Paul
Sandra Pappas, State Senator, St. Paul
Dave Pinto, State Representative, St. Paul
Mitra Nelson, City Councilmember, St. Paul
John Marty, State Senator, Roseville
Kaohly Her, State Representative, St. Paul

Missouri
Daniel Guenther, 9th Ward Alderman, St. Louis
Lyda Krewson, Mayor, St. Louis
Kip Kendrick, State Representative, Columbia
Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Martha Stevens, State Representative, Columbia
Brian Williams, State Senator, St. Louis

Montana
Kim Abbott, State Representative, Helena
Dick Barrett, State Senator, Missoula
Emma Kerr-Carpenter, State Representative, Billings
Mary Ann Dunwell, State Representative, Helena
John Engen, Mayor, Missoula
Jessica Karjala, State Representative, Billings
Bob Kelly, Mayor, Great Falls
Connie Keogh, State Representative, Missoula
Jasmine Krotkov, State Representative, Neihart
Margaret MacDonald, State Senator, Billings
Mary McNally, State Senator, Billings
Andrea Olsen, State Representative, Missoula
David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula
Katie Sullivan, State Representative, Missoula

Nebraska
Tony Vargas, State Senator, Omaha

New Hampshire
Safiya Wazir, State Representative, Concord
Karen Zook, City Councilor, Lebanon

New Jersey
Joshua Fine, Borough Council Member, Highland Park
Catherine Gural, Deputy Mayor, Montgomery
Sadaf Jaffer, Mayor, Montgomery
Gayle Brill Mittler, Mayor, Highland Park
Marvin Schuldiner, Township Committee Member, Montgomery=

New Mexico
Timothy Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque
Gerald Ortiz y Pino, State Senator, Albuquerque
Renee Villareal, Councilwoman, Santa Fe

New York
Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo
Kathy Sheehan, Mayor, Albany
Lovely Warren, Mayor, Rochester
Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember, Albany
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York
Amy Paulin, Assemblymember, Scarsdale
Linda B. Rosenthal, Assemblymember, New York
Al Stirpe, Assemblymember, North Syracuse
Steven Weinberg, Mayor, Village of Thomaston
David Weprin, Assemblymember, Fresh Meadows
Gregory Young, Supervisor, Gloversville
Rachel May, State Senator, Syracuse

North Carolina
Pam Hemminger, Mayor, Chapel Hill
Steve Schewel, Mayor, Durham
Marikay Abuzuaiter, City Council Member-At-Large, Greensboro
Vickie Adamson, County Commissioner, Wake County
Jessica Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, Chapel Hill
John Autry, State Representative, Charlotte
James Barrett, School Board Member, Chapel Hill
Natalie Beyer, Board of Education Member, Durham
Javiera Caballero, City Council Member, Durham
Heidi Carter, Durham County Commissioner, Durham
Jay Chaudhuri, State Senator, Raleigh
Christy Clark, State Representative, Huntersville
Susan Fisher, State Representative, Asheville
Brenda Howerton, County Commissioner, Durham
Mark Jackson, Town Councilman, Archer Lodge
Wendy Jacobs, Chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, Durham
Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore, Durham
Michelle Kennedy, City Council Member, Greensboro
Audra Killingsworth, Town Council Member, Apex
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor, Carborro
Nasif Majeed, State Representative, Raleigh
Stef Mendell, City Council Member, Raleigh
Graig Meyer, State Representative, Chapel Hill
Wiley Nickel, State Senator, Raleigh
Renée Price, County Commissioner, Orange County
Damon Seils, Alderman, Carrboro
Kandie Smith, State Representative, Greenville
Karen Stegman, Town Council Member, Chapel Hill
Nicole Stewart, City Council Member-At-Large, Raleigh
Jennifer Weaver, Mayor Pro Tempore, Hillsborough
Mike Woodard, State Senator, Durham
Nancy Vaughan, Mayor, Greensboro

North Dakota
Tim Mahoney, Mayor, Fargo
John Strand, City Commissioner, Fargo

Ohio
Nan Whaley, Mayor, Dayton
Elizabeth Brown, City Council President Pro Tempore, Columbus
David Donofrio, South-Western City Schools Board of Education Member, Columbus
Emmanuel Remy, Councilmember, Columbus
Peter Ujvagi, City Councilman, Toledo
Rob Dorans, City Councilman, Columbus

Oklahoma
Carrie Blumert, County Commissioner, Oklahoma County
James Cooper, City Councilmember, Oklahoma City
JoBeth Hamon, Ward 6 City Councilmember, Oklahoma City
Carri Hicks, State Senator, Oklahoma City
Cyndi Munson, State Representative, Oklahoma City
Collin Walke, State Representative, Oklahoma City

Oregon
Denny Doyle, Mayor, Beaverton
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland
Alissa Keny-Guyer, State Representative, Portland
Rita Moore, PhD, Portland Public Schools Board of Education Director, Portland
Janeen Sollman, State Representative, Hillsboro
Lori Stegmann, County Commissioner, Portland
Stephanie Stephens, David Douglas School District School Board Member, Portland

Pennsylvania
James F. Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia
William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh
Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster
Danilo Burgos, State Representative, Philadelphia
Faith Craig, City Councilmember, Lancaster
Jason Dawkins, State Representative, Philadelphia
Janet Diaz, City Councilwoman, Lancaster
Elizabeth Fiedler, State Representative, Philadelphia
Isabella Fitzgerald, State Representative, Philadelphia
John Graupera, City Councilmember, Lancaster
Jordan A. Harris, State Representative, Philadelphia
Art Haywood, State Senator, Philadelphia
Malcolm Kenyatta, State Representative, Philadelphia
Joanna McClinton, State Representative, Philadelphia
Dan Miller, State Representative, Pittsburgh
Eric Papenfuse, Mayor, Harrisburg
Maria D. Quinones Sanchez, City Councilmember, Philadelphia
Joseph Schember, Mayor, Erie
Michael Schlossberg, State Representative, Allentown
Erika Strassburger, City Councilmember, Pittsburgh
Chris Rabb, State Representative, Philadelphia
James Reichenbach, City Council President, Lancaster
Rosita C. Youngblood, State Representative, Philadelphia

Rhode Island
Jorge Elorza, Mayor, Providence
Gayle Goldin, State Senator, Providence

South Carolina
Stephen Benjamin, Mayor, Columbia
Carol Jackson, City Council Member, Charleston

South Dakota
Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, Sioux Falls
Ray Ring, State Representative, Vermillion
Linda Duba, State Representative, Sioux Falls

Tennessee
David Briley, Mayor, Nashville
Madeline Rogero, Mayor, Knoxville
Fabian Bedne, Metro Council Member, Nashville
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Nashville
Jason Powell, State Representative, Nashville

Texas
Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin
Eric Johnson, Mayor, Dallas
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio
Sylvester Turner, Mayor, Houston
Clay Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas
Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge, Houston

Utah
Jacqueline Biskupski, Mayor, Salt Lake City
Jani Iwamoto, State Senator, Salt Lake City
Mark A. Wheatley, State Representative, Salt Lake City

Vermont
Anne Watson, Mayor, Montpelier
Miro Weinberger, Mayor, Burlington
Tim Briglin, State Representative, Thetford
Thomas I. Chittenden, City Councilor, South Burlington
Ali Dieng, City Councilor, Burlington
Meaghan Emery, City Council Vice Chair, South Burlington
Maxine Grad, State Representative, Moretown
Jack Hanson, City Councilor, Burlington
Debbie Ingram, State Senator, Williston
Kristine Lott, Mayor, Winooski
Karen Paul, City Councilor, Burlington
Franklin Paulino, City Councilor, Burlington
Ann Pugh, State Representative, Montpelier
Helen Riehle, City Council Chair, South Burlington
Lisa Ryan, Alderwoman, Rutland
Robin Scheu, State Representative, Middlebury
Joan Shannon, City Councilor, Burlington
Michael Sirotkin, State Senator, South Burlington
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte
Maida F. Townsend, State Representative, South Burlington
Theresa Wood, State Representative, Waterbury
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte
David Zuckerman, Lt. Governor, Montpelier

Virginia
Justin Wilson, Mayor, Alexandria
Creigh Deeds, State Senator, Charlottesville
Kaye Kory, State Delegate, Falls Church
Mark Levine, State Delegate, Alexandria
Alfonso Lopez, Delegate, Arlington
Dave Marsden, State Senator, Burke
Scott Surovell, State Senator, Mt. Vernon

Washington
Jay Inslee, Governor, Olympia
April Barker, City Council Member, Bellingham
Breean Beggs, City Councilmember, Spokane
Reuven Carlyle, State Senator, Seattle
Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Tacoma
Mona Das, State Senator, Auburn
Todd Donovan, County Councilmember, Bellingham
Jake Fey, State Representative, Tacoma
Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, West Seattle
David Frockt, State Senator, Seattle
M. Lorena González, City Councilmember, Seattle
Mia Gregerson, State Representative, SeaTac
Bob Hasegawa, State Senator, Seattle
Sam Hunt, State Senator, Olympia
Monica Jurado Stonier, State Representative, Vancouver
Karen Keiser, State Senator, Des Moines
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember, Seattle
Patty Kuderer, State Senator, Olympia
Mary Leavitt, State Representative, University Place
Debra Lekanoff, State Representative, Bellingham
Michael Lilliquist, City Council Member, Bellingham
Kelli Linville, Mayor, Bellingham
Liz Lovelett, State Senator, Anacortes
John McCoy, State Senator, Tulalip
Gerry Pollet, State Representative, Seattle
Chris Roberts, City Councilmember, Shoreline
Christine Rolfes, State Senator, Bainbridge Island
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Seattle
Rebecca Saldana, State Senator, Seattle
Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative, Seattle
Lillian Ortiz-Self, State Representative, Mukilteo
Tana Senn, State Representative, Mercer Island
Derek Stanford, State Senator, Bothell
Hannah Stone, City Council Member/At-Large Representative, Bellingham
Gael Tarleton, State Representative, Seattle
Javier Valdez, State Representative, Seattle
Pinky Vargas, City Council Member, Bellingham
Amy Walen, State Representative, Kirkland

Wisconsin
Carousel Andrea Bayrd, County Commissioner, Dane County

Wyoming
Charles Pelkey, State Representative, Laramie

 

 

Some Counties Still Debating Refugee Consent even as Court has Blocked Trump Reform

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Every morning I scan dozens of refugee stories and am seeing that some counties are still debating and voting to support refugee placement in their counties even as the US State Department says it has stopped seeking consent due to the success of Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in finding a friendly court to enjoin the President’s reform initiative.

(In Minnesota the contractors sent out letters to counties to say they could stop debating the issue, and I assume that is going on elsewhere as well.)

Florida Governor DeSantis was one of a handful of Republican governors who did not say whether he was for or against more refugees for 2020 before the refugee contractors succeeded in halting the President’s reform plan.

Any governors who had not yet said yea or nay are keeping their powder dry—especially the Republican governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

I was surprised to see how few counties and states got their letters into the State Department prior to the Maryland court enjoining the whole process on January 15th.

Presumably the administration is working on a legal response, but in the meantime the US Refugee Admissions Program will continue to run as it has been for decades with the nine contractors*** pretty much calling the shots with the help of deep staters in the US State Department and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (in HHS).

Of course at least for now the number of refugees coming in has been greatly reduced (will have numbers on Saturday).  And, whatever happens going forward the exercise was useful for flushing out governors and city and county elected officials who are eager to admit more impoverished people to America for you to take care of with your tax dollars.

Below is what the DOS is telling visitors to their website on the Executive Order:

Remember the consent period as described in the ‘funding guidance’ would only have been in effect from June through September so that timetable must surely be seriously impaired now.

Executive Order 13888 on Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement provides that refugees may be resettled only in U.S. jurisdictions where both the state and local governments have provided their consent. Close cooperation with state and local governments ensures that refugees are resettled in communities that are eager and equipped to support their successful integration into American society.

The requirements of Executive Order 13888 are incorporated into the annual notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for resettlement agencies that wish to participate in the initial resettlement of refugees in the United States. The NOFO directs resettlement agencies to seek written consents for that fiscal year from the state governor’s office and the chief executive officer of the local government (county or county equivalent) for each state and locality where the resettlement agencies propose to resettle refugees. Currently, this NOFO is closed due to a January 15, 2020 preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court in HIAS v. Trump, PJM 19-3346.

Executive Order 13888 provides that the Secretary of State shall publicly release any written consent of states and localities to the resettlement of refugees. The following is a list of such written consents that the Department of State had received and processed as of January 13, 2020. Currently, the Department of State is not processing or publishing such consents due to a January 15, 2020 preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court in HIAS v. Trump, PJM 19-3346.

Now go here and see the consent letters that had been processed before January 15.

 

*** For new readers these (below) are the nine federally-funded refugee contractors that operate as a huge conveyor belt monopolizing all refugee placement in America.

Church World Service one of the ‘religious charities’ responsible for changing America by changing the people with a ‘Christian message.’

And, they do not limit their advocacy toward only legal immigration programs, but are heavily involved in supporting the lawlessness at our borders.

The question isn’t as much about refugees per se, but about who is running federal immigration policy now and into the future?

(I try to post this information once a day, or at least every few days!)

 

I continue to argue that these nine contractors are the heart of America’s Open Borders movement and thus there can never be long-lasting reform of US immigration policy when these nine un-elected phony non-profits are paid by the taxpayers to work as community organizers pushing an open borders agenda.