Tag: Senator Jeff Sessions

Senate "oversight" hearing scheduled this week on the Refugee Admissions Program

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled that some Congressional committee is attempting to review the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program and as far as I can tell, it will be the first time Congress takes seriously its “consultation” responsibility since before 911.  That said, as I review the list of those testifying, do the Senators really think they will get anything but a snow-job from two of those on the list of entrenched bureaucrats (Bartlett and Carey) who have every incentive to keep the monster going.

Bartlett with map
Do Senators really think that Asst. Sec. of State Anne Richard’s right hand man (Larry Bartlett pictured here) is going to tell the Senators anything negative about how refugees are resettled in America. By the way, see the newest version of that map behind him, here: http://www.wrapsnet.org/Portals/1/Affiliate%20Directory%20Posting/PRM%20Affilaite%20Map%20with%20details1.13.15.pdf

Just last week Lawrence Bartlett traveled to Twin Falls, Idaho to participate in a laughable demonstration of a stacked public “forum” to attempt to quell the citizen criticism of the program there in Magic Valley.  Watch Bartlett in action here.
I do need to comb through that entire video and pull out some Bartlett gems for you.  When I posted on the “forum” here I hadn’t watched the videotape, so to clarify: Bartlett didn’t say they don’t drop off refugees in unwelcoming towns, he actually (with a malevolent look) said “unsafe” towns implying that opponents of refugee resettlement might be violent people!  It is an outrage!
Also, when asked why local citizens don’t have more say in who and how many will be resettled, he made it clear that this was designed as a federal program administered from Washington (so tough luck to local communities, we call the shots).  He didn’t exactly say it that way, but that was the clear message he was sending.
***Update*** Jim sends this link for the segment of Bartlett’s remarks just mentioned. More great information on the Twin Falls “forum” from opponents, here.
The Refugee Act of 1980 (Kennedy, Biden, Carter) does require consultation with local elected officials, something that is done (if at all) in the most cursory fashion and with local ‘friendly’ officials first and foremost.
Anyway, back to the hearing for October 1 (the first day of the 2016 fiscal year where 10,000 or more Syrian, mostly Muslim, refugees will be on the way to these towns and more).
Will those testifying say anything more than all is well, every town is welcoming, Syrians will be screened, blah, blah, blah.
I would like to have seen a mayor*** with problems be among the witnesses.
I’m told if you go to the Judiciary Committee website at the time of the hearing you can watch it live.

Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2016 Refugee Resettlement Program: Fiscal and Security Implications

Immigration and the National Interest
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2015 Add to my Calendar
Time: 02:00 PM
Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building 226
Presiding: Chairman Sessions

Agenda
September 21, 2015

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest entitled “Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2016 Refugee Resettlement Program: Fiscal and Security Implications” for Thursday October 1, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

Witnesses

Mr. Larry Bartlett
Director Of Admissions
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration | United States Department of State
Washington , D.C.

Ms. Barbara Strack
Chief, Refugee Affairs Division
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | United States Department of Homeland Security
Washington , D.C.

Mr. Matthew Emrich
Associate Director, Fraud Detection And National Security Directorate
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | United States Department of Homeland Security
Washington , D.C.

Mr. Robert Carey
Director, Office Of Refugee Resettlement
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Washington , D.C.

Incidentally, Carey is one of the many in federal government who rotated in from a contractor’s job.  Think about it, now he is the dispenser of federal grants to the contractor he once worked for—the International Rescue Committee.
***In Twin Falls, Bartlett did mention some cities where they have problems with mayors, but implied they had been resolved. (He also whacked the citizens of Spartanburg).  He said they had pushback from mayors in Manchester, NH, Amarillo, TX, and Springfield, Massachusetts—all three of which we have covered extensively on these pages.  

Senator Jeff Sessions press statement on Obama plan for Syrian resettlement to America

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, chaired by Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has announced a hearing on the President’s Refugee Resettlement plan for FY2016.  As far as we have been able to determine this may be the first hearing since 9/11 on the Presidential Determination (prescribed in the Refugee Act of 1980).

Jeffrey Sessions
Sessions: Since 9/11, we have permanently resettled approximately 1.5 million migrants from Muslim nations inside the U.S.

The House and Senate Judiciary Committees have jurisdiction over the matter.  Senator Grassley has spoken out strongly, but so far not a peep out of Chairman Goodlatte and Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy*** over in the House.
Here is Senator Sessions’s excellent statement yesterday:

CHAIRMAN SESSIONS CHALLENGES ADMINISTRATION OVER PLANNED RESETTLEMENT OF 200,000 REFUGEES IN U.S.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chairman of the Senate’s Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, responded today to the announcement from Secretary John Kerry that the U.S would increase its intake of refugees over the next two years to nearly 200,000, in addition to the existing annual resettlement of asylees, illegal border-crossers, foreign workers, and global green card recipients:

“The U.S. has already taken in four times more immigrants than any other nation on Earth. Our foreign-born population share is set to break every known historical record. Since 9/11, we have permanently resettled approximately 1.5 million migrants from Muslim nations inside the U.S. Ninety percent of recent refugees from the Middle East living in our country are receiving food stamps and approximately 70 percent are receiving free healthcare and cash welfare. All of the nearly 200,000 refugees the Administration is planning to bring over the next two years would be entitled to these same benefits the moment they arrive. Since we are running huge deficits, every penny of these billions in costs will have to be borrowed and added to the debt. This refugee expansion would be in addition to the 1 million autopilot green cards handed out each year by the government to mostly low-wage migrants, including a large share from Middle Eastern nations.

“Our schools, job markets and public resources are already stretched too thin. And, even at current rates, we have no capacity to screen for extremist ideology, as we have seen with the surge of ISIS recruitment in Minnesota’s Somali refugee community.

“Middle Eastern nations must take the lead in resettling their region’s refugees. The goal of responsible refugee resettlement should be to relocate displaced persons as close to their homes as possible and to seek their return to their country of origin in more stable conditions. It has also been reported that 3 in 4 of those seeking relocation from the Middle East are not refugees but economic migrants from many countries.

“At bottom, it is not a sound policy to respond to the myriad problems in the Middle East by encouraging millions to abandon their home. Absorbing the region’s migrants is not a long-term strategy for stabilizing the region; instead, we should look soberly at our most recent actions in Libya, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere while encouraging migrant populations to remain in the region where they can contribute to social and political reforms.”

*** Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but it seems that Gowdy is supporting Marco Rubio’s bid for the Presidency and most of us can’t get past Senator Rubio’s championing of the Gang of Eight amnesty bill over in the Senate two years ago.  Gowdy is also reportedly close to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), also a Gang of Eight member, who does support the President’s bid to bring in thousands of Syrian (mostly Muslim) refugees to America.

Senate Subcommittee to hold hearing on Obama's 2016 refugee admissions plan

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is wonderful news!   More when we have it.  We just wanted to be sure you have it on your calendars!

September 21, 2015

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest entitled “Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2016 Refugee Resettlement Program: Fiscal and Security Implications” for Thursday October 1, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

Check Subcommittee membership here.

Senator Jeff Sessions: 90% of Middle Eastern refugees get some form of welfare

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday we told you about the Center for Immigration Studies analysis of data indicating that legal immigrants (which include refugees) are using our social safety net at a higher rate than native born Americans, now we learn that Middle Eastern refugees are using welfare assistance at an even higher level than other legal immigrants.

Sessions and Trump at Alabama rally August 21
Senator Jeff Sessions with 2016 Presidential hopeful Donald Trump at August 21st rally in Alabama. http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2015/08/21/live-updates-donald-trump-holds-massive-campaign-rally-in-alabama/

From Breitbart (presumably these numbers include all Middle Eastern refugees no matter which religion they practice) Hat tip: Joanne.
The numbers are much more shocking than those we had previously obtained!

More than 90 percent of recent refugees from Middle Eastern nations are on food stamps and nearly 70 percent receive cash assistance, according to government data.

According to Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) data highlighted by the immigration subcommittee staff of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest — in FY 2013, 91.4 percent of Middle Eastern refugees (accepted to the U.S. between 2008-2013) received food stamps, 73.1 percent were on Medicaid or Refugee Medical Assistance and 68.3 percent were on cash welfare.

Middle Eastern refugees used a number of other assistance programs at slightly lower rates. For example, 36.7 percent received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 32.1 percent received Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 19.7 percent lived in public housing, 17.3 percent were on General Assistance (GA), and 10.9 percent received Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA).

The high welfare rates among Middle Eastern refugees comes as the Obama administration considers increasing the number of refugees — who are immediately eligible for public benefits — to the U.S., particularly Syrian refugees.

ORR defines refugees and asylees from the “Middle East” as being from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.   [Hah! And these figures don’t include the Somali welfare usage numbers!—ed]

More here….
Shortly after a meeting with Sessions on Capitol Hill, saying we need to take care of our own problems, Trump expressed reservations about plans to resettle Syrian refugees in the US.
Addendum: Senator Jeff Sessions was the leader of the opposition to the Gang of Eight’s amnesty bill and here in 2013 called out “meatpackers” as among the big industry lobbyists pushing for a greater supply of cheap immigrant labor.  Long time readers here know the large role the meatpackers are playing in changing small town America by encouraging the resettlement of refugees.

In 2014 'Masters of the Universe' speech, Senator Jeff Sessions lays out a winning argument for Republican Presidential candidates today

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

As I have previously wailed—can’t we draft Senator Jeff Sessions to run for the Presidency of the US!
Here is a 2014 Senate floor speech, just eight minutes long, which has the elements in it that should serve as the core of any argument being made on the immigration issue for 2016.  Hat tip:  Richard at Blue Ridge Forum.
This is not just about illegal immigration, but about how our LEGAL immigration numbers are too high and hurting American workers!

Who are those “Masters of the Universe?”  Watch and find out!

 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzNvsILMg4E