Tag: Rep Trey Gowdy

What are those "highest level of security checks" refugees are subject to?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We don’t know and we have never been told! 

But, don’t you think it’s about time that the US Department of Homeland Security and the US State Department let the public know!
We are expected to have faith that the State Department (with the enthusiastic approval of the 14 members of the Senate Jihad Caucus) can bring in 65,000 Syrians and we’ll be just fine—no wannabe jihadists among them now? No children will grow up to be jihadists (like the Somalis)?

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, one of 14 Senators (Senate Jihad Caucus!) who sent a letter to Obama recently asking for the Administration to admit 65,000 Syrian refugees to the US ASAP! Can Senator Kaine guarantee our security? https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2015/05/22/14-us-senators-tell-obama-bring-more-syrians-to-america-65000-is-a-good-number/

That is the issue that jumped out at me when Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) got his second communication from the US State Department to his second inquiry about what was going on in his district.
Once again Leo Hohmann of World Net Daily is on top of the story.  He begins here with some background.  Emphasis is mine:

Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy’s efforts to shed light on the government’s secretive refugee resettlement program continues to play out in letters between himself and the federal agency responsible for resettling thousands of foreign refugees in U.S. cities and towns every year.

Since his letters haven’t produced many answers, he’s now calling for a meeting with State Department officials.

Gowdy, R-S.C., started asking questions in April about how refugees are distributed to various cities, the impact on local job markets and public services, and who makes the key decisions, among other points of interest. His questions came after it was revealed that Spartanburg, a city in his home district, was selected to receive 60 to 65 refugees over the next year, mostly from Syria. Unable to answer all of the questions posed by some nervous constituents, Gowdy fired off letters to Secretary of State John Kerry.

After getting a response from Kerry that he said was “wholly inadequate” and “vague,” he demanded more specifics on May 4. On Wednesday, he received a second response, which he called a “non-response.”

The State Department secretly selected Spartanburg sometime last year to be one of its designated “receiving communities” for Syrian refugees, 92 percent of whom to date have been Muslim people that the FBI has said will be virtually impossible to safely screen for terrorist connections.

South Carolina’s Gov. Nikki Haley’s refugee coordinator then quietly approved the Spartanburg resettlement in December – again with no public input or notice.

Details of “security checks” are “classified!”  And, we are supposed to take it as an article of faith from Obama’s State Department that we will be kept safe!

It is time for us to be told the details of how the security screening is accomplished and not just with the Syrians, but also with the Somalis!
The truth is that some Somali young man shows up in a boat on Malta or in Malaysia and we accept who he says he is and bring him to the US as a refugee.  There cannot possibly be any high level security check!  If there is, then tell us how it is done!
Hohmann continues:

“As noted in our previous correspondence, all refugees … are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States,” states the latest letter to Gowdy, dated June 1. “The specific details of these checks are classified.”

FBI terrorism expert Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the agency’s counter-terrorism unit, has said that screening refugees from a “failed state” like Syria is beyond the capability of U.S. intelligence because the U.S. has no military presence in Syria and does not have access to reliable police or intelligence records. Steinbach testified publicly to this fact at a Feb. 11 hearing before the House Homeland Security committee.

Yet, the State Department continues to tell congressmen and the public that refugees are rigorously screened. The contradicting statements from the FBI and the State Department continue to trouble those in Spartanburg and elsewhere who have been pushing back against a refugee program they see as secretive and unaccountable to anyone, and the government hides details by working through a maze of private nonprofit “contractors.”

There is much more, read on here!
LOL! And, on this accountability issue, notice (in the latest State Department letter) that the US State Department is shifting responsibility to World Relief Spartanburg leader Jason Lee.
For new readers wishing to catch up on the Spartanburg/Rep Trey Gowdy issue, go to our first post on the controversy, here, in March.  We have been updating it regularly.

Rep. Trey Gowdy gets 2nd response from US State Department on refugee plan; wants a meeting

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We’ll have more on this tomorrow, but here is a press release from South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy about the plan by the UN/US State Department and contractor World Relief to begin moving refugees into Spartanburg, a small city in Gowdy’s district.
***Update***  More here on June 4th.
For new readers, go here for our original post (almost three months ago) with updates on how the controversy has evolved.

Gowdy wants a briefing from Julia Frifield, Asst. Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the US State Department. Check out her bio! She was previously Chief of Staff for US Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/218067.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 3, 2015

Contact:
Amanda Duvall
amanda.duvall@mail.house.gov
202-225-6030

Gowdy Invites State Department to Brief SC Delegation on Refugee Resettlement

Washington, DC -Congressman Trey Gowdy (R- SC) issued this statement regarding the State Department’s non-response to his follow-up questions on the Spartanburg refugee resettlement:

“The State Department’s response to our office’s 14 follow up questions was again sorely inadequate and failed to provide answers. Additionally, our office met with World Relief in April, contrary to State’s most recent letter. Because the State Department was wrong on this account, and because our office did not receive answers to our questions during that meeting with the resettlement agency, we are inviting State Department Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield to provide a briefing to the South Carolina delegation on this issue.

“From the beginning, our interest in this issue has not been to advocate for an outcome, but to ensure transparency and get answers to constituent questions. We will continue to pursue those answers through a face-to-face briefing with the State Department.”

Click here to see the letter.
Again, for new readers, here is a post from a month ago where we reported on the first response Rep. Gowdy received from Sec. of State John Kerry’s office.

Spartanburg County Council dodges and weaves, wants no responsibility in refugee controversy

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

For new readers: this is an update of the two-month-old controversy about the secretive decision to place refugees in Spartanburg, SC.  See all of our previous coverage by clicking here.   We are all waiting to see what Rep. Trey Gowdy, who represents the district and just so happens to chair the House subcommittee responsible for the Refugee Admissions Program, will do.
In the meantime, the Spartanburg County Council is obviously trying desperately to get out of any responsibility for this all important decision for the future of the community.  If they had a little backbone, they could help, not only themselves, but every town in America facing (or soon facing) an edict from the federal government to “welcome” needy third-worlders to town without any local government involvement or community input.
This is the crux of the problem:

Local communities MUST have a discussion and some decision-making authority and not leave decisions about refugee resettlement to the UN, the US State Department and a bunch of government contractors masquerading as non-profit “religious” charities!

 

Spartanburg County Council: Leave us out of this mess! We don’t want to stick our necks out or make difficult decisions! http://www.co.spartanburg.sc.us/govt/depts/cc/

 
 
Here is the news (at GoUpstate.com) about Monday night’s meeting of the Spartanburg County Council:

Spartanburg County Council announced it plans to take no action on a proposal to bring refugees to Spartanburg and is holding steady for U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy’s findings concerning the resettlement program.

World Relief, a faith-based organization, plans to bring 60 refugees to Spartanburg this year to assimilate into the community, as part of a U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.  [The reporter apparently doesn’t know that the word “assimilate” is now a forbidden word among those working to seed American towns with migrants!—ed]

After several people spoke on the issue during a Monday evening council meeting, Chairman Jeff Horton said the County Council had no involvement in the matter and urged residents to be patient until all of the information has been gathered.

He pointed out that the state Senate adopted an amendment in its budget prohibiting state funds from being used for the refugee program until the county council approves the resettlement. The legislation originally stated that it was a decision for the legislative delegation, not the county council.

Horton said the amendment is wrong and should be “stricken immediately.” [In other words, he says, we don’t want this hot potato!—ed]

Christina Jeffrey, a citizen activist who spoke before the County Council on Monday, is concerned about security and wants public involvement in decisions about refugee resettlement. https://www.facebook.com/christinajeffrey

[….]

In April, Gowdy announced he had 17 questions about the program and asked Secretary of State John Kerry to put refugee resettlement plans on hold until questions are answered. Some of those questions revolved around security, education, funding and health care issues.

[….]

Christina Jeffrey, a former candidate for Congress, has voiced opposition to refugees resettling in Spartanburg and said during Monday’s council meeting that refugees cannot be adequately screened. She said the resettlement of refugees in the U.S. is a disservice to taxpayers, the education system, the job market and the safety of people.

She said the department of homeland security cannot ensure safety since screening is difficult, particularly for those coming from countries such as Syria and Iraq.

World Relief local director Jason Lee also attended the meeting and said the refugee resettlement program has traditionally not been a county council issue.

This last statement by Lee is telling.  The US State Department and their cabal of contractors DO NOT WANT ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE!

We must work to change that ‘tradition’ by making it the law to include local citizens and local governments in the decision-making process that involves adding more poverty and potentially changing a town’s culture forever.

It is too bad that the Spartanburg County Council apparently doesn’t have the spine necessary to look at the bigger picture.

Rep. Trey Gowdy must go beyond questions about refugee resettlement in his district to help other towns grappling with refugee overload

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Rep. Trey Gowdy says he has no role in the resettlement process occurring in his district:

“…. our office does not have a role under the law in the implementation of such a [resettlement] plan….”

He, above all other Members of Congress, does have a role when it comes to who is resettled in American towns and from where they hail!

Gowdy has taken a good first step, but he can do much much more as he sits in the ‘catbird seat’ as chairman of the subcommittee responsible for overseeing the entire Refugee Admissions Program

Gowdy is chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security and he could hold oversight hearings tomorrow and help other struggling towns by helping concerned citizens get answers as to how and why the secrecy surrounding resettlement plans for the last 35 years.

And, indeed, he and all members of his Judiciary Committee and those on the Senate Judiciary Committee have the opportunity (requirement!) UNDER THE LAW to review the Presidential Determination Letter and supporting documents that are submitted to Congress every September by the White House/US State Department.

Here is the one submitted for FY2015.   And, here is the full report submitted to Congress for FY2015. (This is the 78-page document in pdf format.)

I wonder did Mr. Gowdy ever even lay eyes on these documents?

I asked once if I could attend the submission of the Presidential Determination Letter to Congress, but was denied.  And, my best guess is that there isn’t even any formal presentation to attend because Congress has a history of rubber-stamping it!

In fact, we have heard from reliable sources that Congress NEVER makes a change to what the President asks for, and I will bet a buck no one even seriously examines the plan for the country.

Did anyone in Congress ever question the large numbers of refugees coming now from countries where the people hate us or are sympathetic to the Islamic State—from Somalia, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Bosnia, Burma (yes, we are taking Muslims from Burma!) and now Syria?  Many of those ethnic groups were mentioned in the Presidential plan over the years.

There are two good articles this morning on the latest from Rep. Trey Gowdy’s office.

Gowdy did hear back from the US State Department with answers to his original set of questions and has now responded with a new set.

It is a lot of information, but serious students of the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program should read carefully, first, Richard Falknor’s post at Blue Ridge Forum:

Trey Gowdy Has An Oversight Duty For Refugee Programs

And, then Leo Hohmann’s latest at World Net Daily:

Congressman seeks to unlock secret refugee program

There are two points that interested me that I don’t believe were mentioned in either of those two excellent articles.

Where was Senator Tim Scott?  Was he invited?

Although, as we learned from the State Department, Senator Lindsey Graham’s office was asked to participate in meetings over a year ago to discuss the “plan” for Spartanburg, there is no mention of South Carolina’s other US Senator Tim Scott.  What?  Since Graham was a known quantity on immigration as one of the infamous Gang of Eight promoting amnesty….

…did the US State Department think maybe the more conservative Scott should be kept out of the process?

And then in the last line (question 17) of the US State Department’s response to Gowdy we learn this:

PRM requires that the local affiliates [their name for subcontractors–ed] convene a community consultation to plan for submission of this proposal.

The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the US State Department is telling us that there is supposed to be community consultation before the ABSTRACT we told you about here is sent to Washington.   Where is the consultation in the over 190 cities and towns where federal resettlement subcontractors are working?

Everyone concerned with refugee overload in your town, or the possibility of refugees being resettled in your town anywhere in a hundred miles of one of those subcontractor offices listed here, should call the subcontractor and ask for their most recent ‘abstract’ and ask when they will be holding the next COMMUNITY CONSULTATION so that you can attend!

Call Gowdy and tell him to HOLD HEARINGS!  202-225-6030!

For new readers, we have a growing archive on ‘Spartanburg’ so click here for background.

More on Spartanburg refugee plan and Rep. Trey Gowdy’s entry into the fray

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

There are two good news stories out since yesterday about what is happening in Spartanburg, SC where the citizens there are demanding to know how it came to be that their small city was secretly targeted as a new refugee resettlement site.

By the way, it is so important to note that Spartanburg is not alone.  In December, the US State Department referenced the fact that their resettlement contractors*** had offices in 180 cities, and just about three months later the State Department is saying they have offices in 190 cities.  So they have found more new sites—is your town one of them?

Call Rep. Trey Gowdy and ask him to investigate the Refugee Admissions Program!

Secretive!

If you think we are being too casual in using the word ‘secretive,‘ some of you may remember the incredible admission by the board of Lutheran Family Service Rocky Mountains in March 2014 (revealed in a letter to the editor), that the reason there was a public controversy over opening a resettlement office in Wyoming (the only state in the nation without a program) was because word of what they were planning leaked to the public before they were ready to spin it.

Here is what I said then, and say now about Spartanburg:

We can’t stress to you enough that federal contractors, like Lutheran Family Services, cannot sell a refugee resettlement plan to a community by telling citizens the whole truth up front! 

In fact, the driving force behind this blog from day one has been our fury over this very point—if it’s a good program, then dammit tell the public the whole plan.  If you can’t sell it with the truth, then it shouldn’t be done with secrecy (or emotional appeals using refugees as poster boys and girls).  In fact, this is exactly why citizens everywhere are sick of government at all levels, government-funded non-profits like this Lutheran bunch, and our so-called leaders.

Maybe we have finally gotten a leader in Washington!

Here are the two stories making the rounds today about Rep.Trey Gowdy’s excellent letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. If you see more stories let us know.

The Daily Caller:  ‘Gowdy demands halt to refugee resettlement in his district’

Frontpage Magazine, Daniel Greenfield, ‘An Invasion of refugees’

Many of you ask:  What can I do?  

Today you can call Gowdy’s office (202-225-6030), thank him and tell him to hold hearings (he is chairman of the House subcommittee responsible for the Refugee Program as it is now being administered).  It is secretive, complicated, expensive and unfair and must be either scrapped or completely overhauled.

***These nine major contractors (who receive the majority of their funding from you, the taxpayer) oversee 350 subcontractors in 190 US cities and towns: