Tag: Syrian refugees

China takes no Syrian refugees for several important (sensible!) reasons

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This article at Foreign Policy is a must read.

Uighurs
Problems with their Muslim Uighurs is one reason China is not eager to invite more Islamists to China.

Why aren’t the Chinese on the bandwagon for multiculturalism and “inclusion?”  The most important reason may well be the last one given in this very informative story:

China’s narrative of nationhood is more static and exclusive. It emphasizes shared history and common heritage.

Clearly they haven’t fallen for the ‘diversity is strength’ meme unlike the political Left (their soulmates) in America and in Europe!
Here are a few snips about some of the other reasons they are NOT WELCOMING the stranger.
First, Chinese leaders say the turmoil in the Middle East is our fault:

Chinese authorities argue that Western countries caused the meltdown in Syria that resulted in the mass exodus, making its resolution their responsibility.

[….]

Chinese political ideology actively discourages the acceptance of non-Chinese migrants: non-interference in other countries domestic affairs is the cornerstone of its foreign policy, and accepting refugees is often viewed as demonstrating a political preference of the country of origin. Beijing even claims its foreign aid has “no political strings attached.” Unlike major western powers, China vehemently opposed external interference in Syria — in particular military intervention. By taking in refugees from the region, China could risk forsaking its diplomatic principle and partaking in the fallout of a failed Middle East policy against which it had tried to warn the West.

There’s also little public support for refugee resettlement.

[….]

Mirroring the concerns of some in Europe and the United States, religion is also a factor. Islam is one of the religions whose practice is permitted in China, albeit with many preconditions.

Lots more useful information, read it all.
Maybe those Chinese are pretty smart! They haven’t fallen for the huddled masses propaganda!  They know they need to take care of their own people!

Obama Administration tried to assure nervous governors that Syrian refugees would be screened

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Very interesting.  While we were all distracted by the funeral for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday the White House was meeting with members of the National Governors Association (winter meeting) to assure them that it was perfectly safe for them to ‘welcome’ Syrian refugees to their states.
As far as I can tell, this Washington Times story is the only report on this intriguing bit of news.

Obama administration officials tried to reassure dozens of wary governors in a closed-door meeting that President Obama’s proposal to relocate Middle Eastern refugees in their states is safe, two governors said Monday.

Utah-Governor-Gary-Herbert
Utah Governor Gary Herbert was apparently not satisfied by Administration answers.

The briefing by senior administration officials last weekend was an effort to “find solutions to some misunderstandings and apprehensions that are out there,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, Utah Republican and chairman of the National Governors Association.

Asked whether the meeting eased states’ concerns about accepting refugees from crisis areas such as Syria and Iraq, Mr. Herbert replied, “We still have work to do.”

After Mr. Obama announced his plan last fall to admit up to 10,000 refugees into the U.S. this year, governors of 30 states from Maine to Wyoming publicly asked for the resettlement of Syrian refugees to stop until security concerns and procedures could be addressed. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was the lone Democrat in the group.

The resistance to refugees intensified after Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, which raised fears of Islamic State fighters sneaking into the U.S. as refugees.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Terry McAuliffe speaks during a debate at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Governor McAuliffe declared himself “confused by the process.”

Terry McAuliffe is confused!  He is not alone! The UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program suffers every day from confusion as a result of the secrecy it has operated under for 35 years.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, conceded that some states “are confused about the process to go through.”

“A lot of issues were raised. We’re continuing to have the dialogue, and [Obama administration officials] promised they would get back to us with additional information as we go forward,” Mr. McAuliffe said.

Good luck getting more information.
Hmmm?  I wonder if Tennessee Gov. Haslam was at the meeting?
Was your governor there?  You should try to find out!
So far Syrian (mostly Sunni Muslims) are only trickling in, see here.

Nearly 500 turn out in Kalispell, Montana to hear presentation about refugee program

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Wow! Incredible news! Incredible turnout!

 

Flathead Act meeting
Thanks to an attendee for sending the photo!

 
We’ve been reporting recently about plans underway to make Montana the 49th state that could see Syrian (mostly Muslim) refugees resettled there through the UN/US State Department Refugee Admissions Program.  Click here for one recent post about a demonstration by citizens of Big Sky Country to send a message to Washington—thanks, but no thanks!
Here we learn from the Daily Inter Lake how interested people of rural Montana are in the issue.  The presentation was put on by the Flathead Valley Act for America (like them on facebook!).

An estimated 460 people turned out Tuesday in Kalispell to hear a Bozeman-based immigration speaker detail the reasons he believes settlement of refugees in the United States is a drain on national resources and potential threat to homeland security.

Paul Nachman said immigrants often don’t assimilate and are a drain on state resources. He pointed out that the two brothers who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings were children of parents who were granted asylum from war-torn Chechnya.

kalispell_mt

In making his case that the vast majority of those granted asylum or refugee status are not actually in danger, Nachman pointed out that one of the bombers and their parents had traveled back to the area they had fled from in the years leading up to the bombing.

Nachman said the purpose of the United States is stated in the Preamble to the Constitution. He focused on the part that says the people of the United States will “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”

“So what the United States is about is benefiting the citizens of the United States, not rescuing the rest of the world from its distress,” Nachman said.

Nachman is a volunteer in a physics group at Montana State University and has a doctorate in astrophysics and astronomy. He has written online articles about immigration issues.

His talk was hosted by the Flathead County chapter of Act for America, a national group working to promote security and defeat terrorism.

Caroline Solomon, Flathead Valley Act for America chapter president, said Tuesday’s event had been planned months in advance and was not scheduled because of demonstrations in Missoula and Helena this month over possible resettlement of Syrian refugees in Montana.

The protests did seem to help heighten interest in the Kalispell event — it had to be moved from Sykes’ Diner to a larger conference room at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell. Collapsible panels were removed to expand the room from the 275 seats originally put out for guests.

There is more, continue reading here.
For our complete archive on Montana, go here.  This post is also filed in our ‘Pockets of Resistance’ category, here.

Are you ready! Those who want to colonize Montana with third-worlders have planned a “march against hate” for March 1. Read all about it here. 

Syrians only trickling in, but Obama State Dept. says they will get to 10,000 this year

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We’ve been reporting, see here, that the US State Department is way behind in meeting Obama’s goal of admitting 10,000 Syrians to the US by the end of the fiscal year (September 30th).
However, here at The Nation, Lawrence Bartlett, Director of Refugee Admissions at the US State Department, says they expect to get them in here and located in 48 states (they would like to make it 49 with Montana) before that deadline:

Bartlett with map
Putting pins in the map? Bartlett, US State Dept. Refugee Admissions Director says they are aiming to get the 10,000 Syrians in here this year as Obama promised. Here he stands in front of the map showing 190 towns and cities where they could be located. Map: http://www.wrapsnet.org/Portals/1/Affiliate%20Directory%20Posting/PRM%20Affilaite%20Map%20with%20details1.13.15.pdf

It’s common for resettlement numbers to start low and increase by the end of the fiscal year. Still, the difficulty the administration will have in admitting a mere 10,000 Syrians in a single year underscores the deep political challenges facing the Obama administration in responding to the ongoing Syrian civil war. In the months since the announcement, high-profile terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have stoked anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, and the already onerous refugee resettlement application process has become even more stringent for Syrians. Despite this, the State Department says it still plans to meet its goal.

“We remain steadfastly committed to the President’s plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States in FY [fiscal year] 2016,” said Lawrence Bartlett, director of the State Department’s Office of Refugee Admissions, in a statement to The Nation. “We have met our admissions goals for each of the last three years, and we are on target to meet the goal of admitting 10,000 refugees from Syria and 85,000 refugees from all over the world, by the end of this fiscal year.” (The State Department didn’t set specific goals for Syrian refugees until this year, and only 1,682 were admitted in FY 2015.)

Has the so-called “interview surge” started?

Bartlett added that to meet the new goal, “from February through April, additional staff will be posted to Jordan, where they will conduct and support interviews of 10,000 UNHCR-referred refugee applicants,” referring to the UN’s refugee agency. In addition to the new efforts in Jordan, Barlett said the United States “will restart Department of Homeland Security refugee resettlement interviews in Beirut, Lebanon on February 18, 2016.” The vast majority of Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Still, it’s unlikely that any of the refugees who begin the screening process this month would be able to travel to the United States by October, the end of the fiscal year.

Read the whole article.  It sounds to me that (despite Obama’s pronouncements) we have many steadfast officials in our security apparatus that are taking the screening process very seriously.
See in red, one more reminder that the UN is picking our refugees!
For our many new readers:  Just now as I retrieved the link for the resettlement office map I was reminded that we have a page for “Frequently Asked Questions” on the header above.  Please visit it!
A list of all resettlement offices is here.

Syrians coming to NJ, Church World Service to hold gathering to educate citizens

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

If you live in North Jersey, especially in the area of Jersey City where Americans witnessed the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center across the harbor and where Donald Trump reported Muslims celebrating that day, you might want to attend this educational gathering being promoted by Church World Service, one of nine major federal resettlement contractors.
[For the record, CWS is the resettlement contractor that tried to set up shop in my county in 2007 and inspired me to write this blog!]
Mark your calendars for March 6th!
Here is the news on the event.
Syrians (mostly Sunni Muslims) are only trickling in so far, see here, but the Obama Administration is planning an “interview surge” to get more in here more quickly, here.  CWS is getting ‘welcoming’ communities prepped for the surge of arrivals.
 

CWS Mahmoud
Mahmoud Mahmoud, director of Church World Service in Jersey City, will speak about ongoing efforts to resettle Syrian refugees in the New York area and ways the community can help at First Congregational Church of Westfield on Sunday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m. To register for this event, which includes a free soup luncheon, contact the church at 908-233-2494 or uccfcc@verizon.net. (courtesy photo)

 
Be sure to see my earlier post today on the NYT actually reporting on security screening inadequacy.
I’ll betcha now that Chris Christie is out of the Presidential race, the NJ governor won’t be talking with the same bravado, as he did previously, about not permitting Syrian resettlement in the state.
Click here for a huge archive on Church World Service.