And, since October 1, 2016 (the first day of fiscal year 2017) we are up to 34,430—still time for the Trump Administration to cap entry for this year at less than 50,000 (my suggestion is 35,000). Trump Watch!
I’m glad to see so many news outlets now tracking refugee numbers, something not done until the last year or so. (You will see some slight discrepancies in numbers depending on what parameters are entered at Wrapsnet and what time of day the reporter accessed the State Department data base.)
Here is what I have this morning: Since President Trump’s Executive Order on the evening of 1/27, the State Department and its contractors have hustled and placed 2,305 refugees. (Remember that although the ‘ban’ has been stymied by court wrangling, the 50,000 ceiling, a reduction from Obama’s proposed 110,000, stays in effect.)
Of the 2,305, 1,051 come from the countries that were included in the ban as follows:
Iraq (341)
Iran (115)
Somalia (156)
Sudan (37)
Syria (402) (400 of the Syrians are Muslims and only 2 Christians)
Libya (0)
Yemen (0)
(We rarely bring refugees from those last two countries anyway)
Total: 1,051
Religions?
It defies all common sense to believe Rohingya boat people can be security screened. Story and photo: http://www.thanhniennews.com/region/hundreds-of-refugees-arrive-in-malaysia-indonesia-after-thai-crackdown-52841.html
One thing you need to know is that all of those coming from places like Iran and Iraq are not Muslims, some are Christians and other minorities.
But the total number of Muslims in the group of 2,305 is 1,022.
In addition to those countries above, we admitted Muslim refugees from the following countries: Afghanistan, Burma, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan and Palestine. In fact 19 of the 87 Burmese we admitted are Muslims. These are probably the Rohingya boat people who went illegally to places like Malaysia, and I maintain cannot be thoroughly vetted any better than Syrians or Somalis.
This post is filed in ourTrump Watch!category as well as ‘refugee statistics’and ‘where to find information.’
Here is one of many stories about the impact of the cap reduction to 50,000 refugees for the US in FY17, a portion of the Trump EO not effected by court wrangling.
We learned here that the refugee resettlement contracting agencies were going to be working on placing sob stories (like this one) to sway public opinion against President Trump.
As you read this, remember that since 9/11 we have had 4 years under 50,000 (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) and under Obama we had one year (2011) under 60,000 see here. Joel Charny: “I expect the 50,000 cap to remain in place in subsequent years as well.” 50,000 is not that low! Photo and bio here: https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/leadership_inst.aspx?id=152471339390
So these whining contractors have often had lower numbers to resettle, but they were licking their chops for Obama’s proposed 110,000 paying refugee clients (they are paid by the head, by you, to resettle refugees in your towns and cities).
And, here, I argued that the Trump Administration should lower the cap to 35,000. Very few migrants from Syria, Somalia and Iraq get to the US outside of the refugee program so it would effectively slow the flow from terror hotspots. And, btw, we have been taking Somalis for 30 years—DOES IT EVER STOP!
***This morning we are already at 34,078 (1,953 since the EO was signed on 1/28) according to Wrapsnet.***
One more thing before I give you a few snips from the “chaos” news. Don’t allow anyone to use the argument made at the end of this article that we only take a fraction compared to say Turkey or Pakistan. Our refugees become permanent citizens and those presently swamping those countries will not be accepted as citizens. They will be expected to return to their own countries when the conflict ends. Mark my words, if this flow from Syria to America gets going full steam, as it has for Somalia, we will still be taking Syrians for decades no matter what happens in their homeland.
Here is Devex:
President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees from entering the U.S. has — at least for now — been suspended. But the resulting scene for those involved in refugee resettlement is chaotic, exacerbated by concern about the longer term prospects of the United States’ role as a host country, according to several resettlement, legal aid and advocacy organizations. A cap on refugee arrivals at less than half the previous expected figure remains in place.
“We don’t know when people will be brought over, or how many those numbers will be. It’s very complicated — total chaos,” said Bill Swersey, senior director of communications and digital media at HIAS, one of the nine refugee resettlement organizations*** contracted by the U.S. federal government, in a phone interview early this week. “Everybody is confused. It is like we are riding a rollercoaster. First there is a ban, then it is rescinded… We don’t know when we will receive new people. Last week, there was one Syrian refugee family that arrived.”
[….]
…..some elements of the ban remain in place.
This includes a reduction of the number of refugees the U.S. will welcome — now curtailed to 50,000 per year, less than half of this year’s expected admission of 110,000.
[….]
“That is a huge concern. Over time we have incrementally worked up to more sufficient numbers and that is a highly discretionary thing the President sets a cap for every year,” said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, the International Rescue Committee’s senior director of policy and advocacy. “We worry if the caps are lower it just sets us back many, many years with the resettlement we are doing. [And, it means less $$$ and less staff for them!—ed]
The US takes the largest share by far of UN chosen refugees for permanent resettlement
The U.S. has historically been the largest participant in the U.N. refugee agency’s global resettlement program. Canada, Australia, Norway and the U.K. also take large numbers of refugees through this program.
“It is hard to see any countries being able to come forward and make up for this reduction,” Joel Charny, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council USA, wrote in an email to Devex. “I expect the 50,000 cap to remain in place in subsequent years as well.”
In 2016, a total of 114,916 refugees were resettled as part of the U.N. refugee agency’s program. The U.S. admitted 84,995 people during fiscal year 2016.The greatest number of refugees entering the U.S. came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by Syria, Burma, Iraq and Somalia.
Continue reading here.
This reminds me, Trump could take us out of the UN program and we could pick our own refugees. The fact that 98% of the Syrians entering the US right now are Muslims is because the UN makes the first cut. Where is Congress? Hiding? Afraid of the Chamber of Commerce and big corporations needing cheap labor, like the meatpackers? The present system of resettlement in America is so flawed that I believe the Refugee Act of 1980 must be trashed.
Congress could then write a new law, dumping the UN role in choosing refugees, if it was determined to be in America’s best interests to bring in a certain amount of third world poverty to our towns and cities.
***Nine major federal refugee contractors:
Because he is all over the news today as the focal point in one more attack on President Donald Trump, I’m re-posting this story from 2015 so you know just who Senator Blumenthal is and why he must be pretty unhappy with Trump.
In 2015 Senator Blumenthal held a press conference with the director of CAIR Connecticut seeking to speed up Syrian refugees to America by reducing security screening requirements. 98% of Syrians entering the US are Muslims. This is what I said October 7, 2015:
Update: Who was that man over Senator Blumenthal’s left shoulder?
Yesterday we told you that Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is leading the charge to lessen the security screening for Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugeesand he wants to expand the so-called P-3 (fraud ridden!) family reunification program.
See yesterday’s post by clicking here. (Go there to see exactly how Senator Blumenthal wanted to make it easier for Syrians to get through the refugee screening process.)
That is CAIR-Connecticut’s Executive Director behind Senator Blumenthal. Getting pretty brazen aren’t they, or is Blumenthal just pretty dense to invite CAIR to be so prominently involved in lessening security screening for refugees?
Now we know the answer to the question I asked all of you to help answer. Looming over Blumenthal’s shoulder is none other than Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)- Connecticut director Mongi Dhaouadi.
(When I mentioned to a friend that I had updated my post with that information (thanks to Kyle), she suggested I write a second post because as a subscriber, who received the earlier one, she would not see the update.)
But it is worth mentioning again because this is now the second time we have seen CAIR involving itself directly in the Syrian (mostly Muslim) resettlement issue (and you can bet they are not advocating for the persecuted Syrian Christians). Clearly their interest is in boosting the Muslim population in the US. CAIR was herein the St. Louis ‘Bring them here march’ last month.
Here is Mr. Dhaouadi’s bio at CAIR’s website: (update: Apparently Mr. Dhaouadi has moved on since I first wrote this story)
Mongi Dhaouadi Executive Director
Mongi S. Dhaouadi was born and raised in Tunisia. He moved to the US when he was 19 years old and studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As The Executive director of CAIR-CT, he conducts civil rights workshops throughout the state of Connecticut under the title “Know Your Rights.” Also, he leads several workshops and discussions on Islamophobia and the Muslim experience before and after 9/11.He has participated in and led several media campaigns and press conferences on issues concerning the Muslim community ranging from discrimination cases to advocating for the change of racial profiling laws in the state of Connecticut. Dhaouadi was featured in countless local, national, and international media outlets including NPR, FOX News, and Democracy Now with Amy Goodman. During the summer, he runs a youth internship program during which high school and college students work on several projects ranging from preparing a toolkit on Islamic cultural competency for schools, to writing and publishing articles from a Muslim youth perspective in the local papers and publications. Dhaouadi leads a Connecticut delegation at the Capitol Hill visits; an event that is organized every year by CAIR National, where members of the Muslim community visit their representatives in Wasington, DC and advocate for issues of concern domestic and foreign. Prior to joining CAIR-CT on a full time bases Dhaouadi was the Head Administrator at SKF Academy in Hamden Connecticut. Dhaouadi is married with three children: ages 11, 14 and 18. He lives with his family in New London, Connecticut. His favorite past time is playing or coaching soccer.
So far Connecticut doesn’t get very many refugees compared to other states. I guess Blumenthal and Dhaouadi would like to change that.
Is CAIR getting into the refugee resettlement program where you live? Let me know. And, while you are at it, see if you notice the involvement of Islamic Relief (USA)as well. Go here to find the regional offices of Islamic Relief (USA) thanks to reader Cathy. More on Connecticut here.
100 Syrians rushed in to US between Sunday and today!
You will remember that the Trump Administration gave a reprieve to 872 refugees who were on the way to America as of the date (1/28/2017) of the President’s signing of the Executive order on refugees from all over the world.
Remember also that there is a 120-day pause of the whole Refugee Admissions Program (RAP) and Syrians were completely banned in that EO. (120 days is not long enough in my opinion)
Then when the rogue Washington State judge effectively re-opened the pipeline for all classes of immigrants entering the US, the Dept. of State re-started the RAP (to the delight of the contractors who are paid by the head to place them). I see this morning at Wrapsnet that we have now passed the 872 (reprieved number) mark and are up to 956 refugees having arrived since the EO was signed. But, holy cow! 100 Syrians have been rushed in here between 2/5 (Sunday) and 2/7 (early this a.m.) according to data at Wrapsnet!
The bureaucrats at DOS are still running the show apparently! Imagine the hustling that must have gone on at the UN, at IOM and in the Department of State on Sunday getting these Syrians on planes!
Where did the 100 go? New York followed by Virginia are the top two receiving states.
Just discovered by a citizen activist is this May 2016 discussion about the pros and cons of admitting Middle Eastern refugees to the US at McCuistion, a non-profit organization. We learned that The Foundation for Responsible Television has been producing the McCuistion Program for 20 years.
It is a 28-minute program and you can watch the whole thing below, but what our activist wanted you to hear is near the beginning of the discussion where A.J. Irwin, a former Homeland Security agent and expert on terrorism (see here at wikipedia) describes the screening process that we have been told is so long and so thorough. (Hat tip: Jim)
Remember, for the Syrians, the Obama Administration sent more agents to the Middle Eastto reduce the time it takes to bring them in. They processed them to your towns and cities within 3 months.
Begin listening at 2:50 until 4:57 and learn about the screening process that has largely been kept secret from us with euphemisms about how “robust” it is!
A.J. Irwin:
“…when we send refugee officers over there to interview people, they have a mission and their mission is not to detect fraud or identify terrorists, it’s to process these people and get ’em into the system….
When they sit down at their desks or their cubicle, the line is as far as they can see. And they have the pressure of processing these people. So they don’t spend a whole lot of time talking to them. They get their basic information, they see if they meet the basic requirements – have a credible fear – what it’s based on. And then they move on to the next person. So this process is very rapid and the mission, again, is more service. It is not enforcement; it’s not detection of fraud or national security.”
Be sure to see Senators Cruz and Sessions let looseon Homeland Security rep at hearing last September. Leon Rodriguez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was forced to admit that many Syrians were admitted on the basis of their “personal stories.” [Donald where are you, this would be easy to stop!—ed]
You know and I know that they all have manufactured stories about how they will be persecuted if we don’t take them to America. I bet the vast majority say that ISIS is after them. Ha! Well if we destroy ISIS, then what? Will they go home?
Watch the full discussion below or click here:
![rpcLogoSmall [Converted]](https://refugeeresettlementwatch.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/rpclogosmaller.jpg)
