Readers, I am so backed up with news that I really need to share before I go away. I am going to just put up a bunch of posts and not say much (you probably are cheering that news!).
Here is a story from the Portland Press Heraldwith the subheading:
Few organizations offer the types of financing allowed by Islamic law, discouraging many eager immigrant entrepreneurs.
That is what the Somali (Lewiston is the Somali capital of New England!) and other Muslim immigrant boom has brought to Maine. See our EXTENSIVE Maine archive by clicking here. Governor LePage is trying to hold back the tide in a state whose famous welfare generosity caused a rush on Maine, here, a few years ago.
Mayor McDonald is continually under fire from Leftists and Somali agitators. Here is one such case in 2012: http://www.pressherald.com/2012/10/02/lewiston-mayor-asked-to-resign-after-comments/
Although the “S” word is not mentioned, it does seem that the mayor ( Mayor Robert Macdonald) had Somalis on his mind when he talked with WMTW.TV(hat tip: ‘pungentpeppers’):
Voters in Lewiston have repealed an agreement that would have given some pieces of city land to a landlord whose properties were destroyed in a 2013 arson. Affordable housing would have been built at the site. Mayor Robert Macdonald said the city has enough housing and more than 40 vacant buildings have been torn down so far.
[….]
He is concerned about building more housing that can attract people from other areas and take advantage of public services. When we bring these people in here, they perpetuate the—the myth that Lewiston is nothing but a welfare place.
By the way, I assume the arson fire discussed is this onewhich did involve a Somali boy. More here.
How did all those Somalis (thousands of them) end up in Lewiston? See our post from 2009 on Maine and the welfare magnet, here.
You also might want to have a look at our extensive archive on Lewiston by clicking here.
And, one more thing, Maine’s Governor Paul LePage, who has been trying for years to get rid of Maine’s reputation for welfare generosity to migrants and asylum seekers, was re-elected last week(the Left is not happy). See our Maine archive here.
This is just one of those warm and fuzzy articles we find ourselves needing to ‘balance.’ It is all about how Syracuse, NY has become a primary resettlement site. In fact, it is officially a “preferred resettlement site” according to the feds.
Puff pieces like this usually run when there is trouble afoot. News outlets work with the resettlement agency to get ‘news’ like this out—it is meant to make any complaining citizens feel like they are in the minority and force them to shut up. In other words, if you aren’t “welcoming” you are mean-spirited and surely a racist boob!
Helen Malina, refugee contractor: We are a welcoming city!
The article is here at Time Warner Cable News (CNY’s refugee community thrives as global refugee numbers climb):
But when a refugee is finally cleared, the highest number end up in the United States, and Syracuse has emerged as a prime city for resettlement.
Experts say that’s because of New York State’s robust public assistance programsand a combination of Syracuse’s relatively low cost of living and inviting community.
“We really are a welcoming city and I think most of the communities that have been resettled here have been well integrated into the Syracuse community family,” said Malina. [Helen Malina head of the local contractor—ed]
Out of the approximately 70,000 refugees that come to the United States every year, Central New York receives about 1,200 of them. About half of those are helped by the InterFaith Works Center for New Americans. The center helps refugees find homes and jobs, learn English and adjust to American society. However, the transition can be a difficult one….
Read it all if you feel like it.
Here is one story about the generosity of the taxpayers of New York and this Interfaith gang. A new Iraqi refugee came with hypertension. He had emergency heart surgery and spent the next six weeks comatose and in intensive care while others cared for his wife and kids. Imagine what that must have cost the generous citizens of Syracuse and New York state!
RRW owes a lot to Church World Service because it was they and their subcontractor—Virginia Council of Churches—thatfirst introduced us to the programwhen they tried and failed to get a foot-hold and establish a resettlement office in our rural Maryland County. There would never have been an RRW without their ham-handed Hagerstown adventure.
Check out our archive on Syracuse which recently made the news because a Catholic Church was turned into mosque and it became a major controversy there. Looking back I see refugees demonstrated against “racism” in Syracuse a few years ago. No mention of any of that in this warm and fuzzy piece.
The Immigrant/Refugee Parent Project, a collaborative effort by several immigrant groups, will host a workshop in San Jose later this month to allow parents from various immigrant communities to share their challenges raising children in the United States.
The parents, many of whom have fled wars and persecution in their home countries, will have the opportunity to discuss their experiences, ask questions, meet new people and sample each other’s cooking.
Launched last year, the program is facilitated by adult/child psychiatrist Suzan Song…
No job=no respect:
Although the parents come from diverse cultures, Song noted their concerns are often remarkably similar. One common challenge is how children tend to more easily adjust to local cultures and learn English faster than their parents. This can lead to kids shaming their parents for not being more American, Song noted, adding that some parents say being unemployed makes it hard to command their children’s respect.
Song said while the parents are generally eager to find work, many refugees suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can make it difficult to get and keep a job.Conflicting social behaviors can be another source of friction. [Like girls not wanting to wear the hijab!—ed]
At least these kids are ashamed (so far) with non-working parents living off the US taxpayer, unlike generations of inner-city kids who go on to lifelong dependence on welfare themselves—and pass it down to their offspring!
Keeping these refugee kids ashamed might in fact be their ticket to upward mobility!
Update January 13th:More here by Daniel Greenfield at Frontpage mag.
Leftist community organizers bused them in to the state capital from Portland and Lewiston, the twin hubs of the Somali/immigrant centers in Maine.
Somali community organizer Fatuma Hussein: “We are the future of Maine. We are the face of Maine.” Photo Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The Portland Press Heraldstory begins with an immigrant success story, a man who made it in Maine having come from a non-Muslim country. Of course to persuade you how much refugees contribute they aren’t going to tell you about the asylum-seeking/welfare mooching Tsarnaev familynor Esar Metin Utah (the horror I will get back to shortly).
Here is the Portland Press Herald where the words ‘asylum seekers’ feature prominently in the title to gain your sympathy (hat tip: pungentpeppers). Emphasis is mine:
On Friday, he [the star of their story] was among more than 100 people who turned out to oppose a proposed rule change that would prohibit hundreds of asylum seekers and some other immigrants from receiving General Assistance while waiting for their work permits.
“This is what the program was designed for – to help people with similar situations become self-sufficient,” he said.
Immigrants, attorneys, faith leaders and advocates for the poor urged the Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw the proposal, saying it is illegal, mean-spirited and morally wrong. They argued that it would cut off a life line for many people who arrive in Maine and apply for asylum – a process that can take years.
The rule change is being proposed by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration. The governor has made welfare reform a priority in his three years in office, and a major theme of his re-election campaign. [Gee, maybe Gov. Christie could try something bold like this!—ed]
Asylum-seekers do not get on federal welfare until they have been granted asylum. Remember that! It was mentioned in our gay Russian post recently. Refugees resettled by the US State Department and their federal contractors get taxpayer goodies immediately (see our fact sheet).
The change would align Maine’s program with federal aid programs, which don’t provide benefits to immigrants until they have been in the country for five years, said DHHS spokesman John Martins. General Assistance is funded entirely by the state and local governments, and is based now only on financial need, not citizenship status. Cities or towns that want to provide the aid could continue to do so, without state money, Martins said.
Advocates estimate that as many as 1,000 immigrants who are seeking asylum in Maine would lose access to General Assistance. [Maine has that many in the court system seeking asylum? I don’t believe it.—ed]
Opponents of the rule change were bused from Portland and Lewiston, cities with significant immigrant populations, for a hearing Friday before DHHS officials in Augusta.
[…..]
The change would affect primarily new immigrants who are not yet citizens and are not refugees resettled here by the federal government. [Catholic Charities is the primary federal resettlement contractor in Maine—ed]
The taxpayers of Maine are paying a lot of money to support all these immigrants on welfare:
In fiscal year 2012, Maine communities provided a total of $17.5 million in General Assistance, $13.2 million of which came from the state budget, according to the DHHS. Portland provided $9.6 million in General Assistance to 4,376 individuals and families in the last fiscal year, with 90 percent of that money spent on food and shelter, according to the city.
Of the total spent, $2.4 million came from property taxpayers and $7.2 million came from the state [taxpayers!–ed].
Now get this! Somali community leader says they are the future of Maine [and you better take care of us!—ed].
“This proposed rule will result in increased homelessness and hunger for immigrant women and their children,” said Fatuma Hussein, the director of Somali Women of Maine. “We are the future of Maine. We are the face of Maine. The face of Maine is changing.”
