Tag: Senator Jeff Sessions

Senators Cruz and Sessions let loose in yesterday's Senate hearing on FY17 refugee plan

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, grilled three members of the Obama Administration on the plan to admit 110,000 refugees to the US in the next fiscal year which begins on Saturday (Oct. 1).
This is a required hearing under the Refugee Act of 1980 and we will be looking for the House hearing (where are your Reps Goodlatte and Gowdy?).

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Senators Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions were not happy (understatement!) when they heard details of so-called screening of refugees from the failed state of Syria.

Many issues were raised, but naturally the one that brought out the most angry exchanges involved the vetting process.
Leo Hohmann, of World Net Daily, watched and summarized those key points in his lengthy report, here.
This is how he begins:

President Obama’s top official responsible for vetting refugees testified before the Senate Wednesday that it’s possible for people from Syria and other terrorist-infested countries to have their refugee applications approved based simply on personal interviews with a “highly trained” immigration officer.

Leon Rodriguez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, could not deny that in many cases there is no data from the refugee’s home country that would corroborate or refute his story. He tried to reassure the committee by saying the screening process is lengthy and continuously being improved, noting that the United Nations pre-screens the refugees before his office even sees them.

Under questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rodriguez at first avoided giving a direct answer on whether it was possible to gain admission as a refugee based solely on an interview. That infuriated Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who chairs the subcommittee on immigration and the national interest. His subcommittee conducted the hearing Wednesday on Obama’s refugee plans for fiscal year 2017, which begins Saturday, Oct. 1.

Obama plans to bring 110,000 refugees to the United States in 2017, up from 85,000 in 2016 and 70,000 in 2015.

The administration has exceeded its 2016 target on Syrian refugees by 30 percent, resettling 12,500 in dozens of U.S. cities and towns, rather than the 10,000 it had promised the U.N.

At Wednesday’s hearing, administration officials refused to say how many refugees they intend to bring in from Syria in fiscal 2017, only that it would likely exceed the 12,500 brought this year. (See my post on that portion of hearing, here.)

Nor did they say how many would come from Somalia, Iraq, Burma, Afghanistan and other hotbeds of Sunni radicalism.

When the subject turned to the process of “vetting” the refugees, sparks began to fly.

Continue reading and see embedded clips (sparks flying) from the hearing.

At Senate hearing, US State Department refuses to say how many Syrians in next year's flow

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I’m writing and listening to the hearing in the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest.  Eventually, when the video is available, you should all take a couple of hours and watch this.  Right now Senator Al Franken is talking and doing the ‘my grandfather came from Russia and read the poem on the Statue of Liberty (his ignorance is so profound) act.’

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Henshaw says the White House hasn’t told them yet about how many Syrians will be in next year’s migration stream.

One of the things that continues to amaze me, it shouldn’t, and that is the Left is always focused on emotions and the facts be damned!
But I digress…..

One big piece of news is that the Obama Administration is refusing to say how many Syrians they want to see admitted beginning Saturday (the first day of the fiscal year).

Simon Henshaw Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration U.S. Department of State told Senator Grassley only that it would be more than 12,500.
Grassley quipped (I’m paraphrasing), ‘is that because it’s a hot political item.’
Yes, exactly. They know the public would go crazy to hear that we were going to bring in 20,000, 30,000 or more.
The subject of Hillary’s 65,000 Syrian Muslim (98% are Sunni Muslims) proposal was raised and Senator Sessions wanted to know, if she becomes President, could she get that number.  Henshaw answered that the President can change the numbers ‘with consultation with Congress.’ So, that would mean that Donald Trump would have the same power!
We previously reported that a resettlement contractor told an audience in California that 20,000-30,000 is the Syrian target number.
At this moment Senator Cruz is doing a really good job of making the point about the high Syrian Muslim population being admitted to the US in contrast to the tiny number of Christians.

Senator Jeff Sessions' Senate subcommittee has re-scheduled Refugee Oversight hearing

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is the same hearing that the Dept. of State said they couldn’t attend last week because they were too busy hobnobbing at the United Nations.

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One of those scheduled to testify is Bob Carey the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS). Carey came to his government job from a major refugee contracting job at the International Rescue Committee. He had previously served as chair of the Refugee Council USA, the lobbying arm for the refugee industry. (Revolving door!) http://www.acf.hhs.gov/about/leadership/bob-carey

The hearing in Sessions’ subcommittee ‘Immigration and the National Interest’ will be this coming Wednesday, the 28th.

Go here for details.
I’m thinking that maybe you should tell your US Senators on Monday and Tuesday to take the time this week to attend Sessions’ hearing so they won’t be so ignorant about this program that is changing (and endangering!) America. It is a good excuse to call them.
Heck, you could even tell  your House Members to walk across the Hill and stop in since the House Judiciary Committee (Rep. Trey Gowdy is Sessions’ counterpart in the House) isn’t doing anything.
Again, check out the Senate Subcommittee website here. I expect they will be live-streaming the event.
For a reminder of what happened at this same hearing last year, go here.
And, by the way, until Sessions’ hearing last year, Congress had not been doing its legally required hearing on the Presidential Determination.  I believe that hearing was the first since 9/11.
Here is what I said last year about the law!  LOL! I wonder if there is anyway to sue the House Judiciary Committee for breaking the law?

Obama Administration thumbs nose at Senate Judiciary Committee, refuses to testify tomorrow

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Senator Jeff Sessions had scheduled a legally required Senate hearing for tomorrow on the President’s ‘Determination’ about refugee numbers for Fiscal Year 2017 (begins in 11 days).
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Here you can tell by the usually mild Senator Sessions tone that a refusal to appear, by all branches of the administration that deal with refugees, is of major concern for the nation and a clear slap in the face to all American citizens with fears for the security and economic well-being of their communities.
This is stunning! United Nations First! (Not America First!).

Sessions: Obama Administration Subordinates Concerns Of The American People To Advance Agenda Of The United Nations

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest made the following statement regarding the Obama Administration’s refusal to attend a hearing tomorrow about the Refugee Admissions Program:

 

“Despite having sufficient notice of a statutorily required hearing regarding its plans for the Refugee Admissions Program in Fiscal Year 2017, the Obama Administration has once again elected to subordinate both its relationship with Congress and the legitimate concerns of the American people to advance the agenda of the United Nations. The Department of State claims that not one official is available to appear at tomorrow’s scheduled hearing due to this week’s United Nations General Assembly and Summit for Refugees and Migrants. The Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services have also refused to attend tomorrow’s hearing in a strange display of bureaucratic solidarity with the Department of State’s indefensible decision. The American people deserve explanations about the Administration’s reckless plans to admit 110,000 refugees beginning on October 1, 2016. They demand that their leaders end the lawlessness and abuses in the Refugee Admissions Program, and that their leaders place the safety and security of this country first.”

Stay tuned, we will keep you posted if the lawless Administration ever deigns to follow the law regarding the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program!  The hoopla in the UN over refugees was yesterday and today, so is the Judiciary hearing interrupting the the bureaucrats NYC party time?
Subpoena them!!!