Congress flooded with calls today to stop the Obama amnesty

07/28/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update! The Federation for American Immigration Reform has an action alert out tonight with more specific instructions for calling Congress as Speaker Boehner prepares a flawed bill for the House floor. To learn more click here.

If you didn’t participate in melting the phone lines on Monday, it’s not too late—call your elected officials in Washington tomorrow. If you miss tomorrow whack them on Wednesday!

Close the borders! Stop the Obama amnesty! No more funding for illegal alien phony “refugees!” Do your job! Pick your message, but let them know how you feel. The US Capitol Switchboard number is this: (202) 224-3121.

See our post Saturday and here is the latest report from Breitbart on the Monday melt!

Senator Jeff Sessions: “They will get louder in the coming days.”

The American people have risen up in response to a rallying cry from Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), overloading the phone lines on Capitol Hill to pressure their members of Congress to fight against President Obama’s planned executive amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.

“I was on hold with the Capitol Hill switchboard about a minute or so each time I called my Representative and my two Senators,” Catharine Trauernicht, a Tea Party activist in Virginia, told Breitbart News Monday. “Typically, my calls are answered right away, but I always know that citizens have sprung into action when the switchboard recording comes on and says, ‘All of our operators are assisting other callers at this time.’”

When called by Breitbart News Monday at about 1:30 p.m., the Capitol Hill switchboard line was similarly busy.

“This shows the American people are going to resist,” a Sessions aide told Breitbart News. “The crescendo will grow. They are only beginning to be heard. They will get louder in the coming days.”

The calls are coming in response to Sen. Sessions, who last week asked the American people to rise up and pressure their elected leaders to stop the president from moving forward with any new executive amnesty. Obama has already granted executive amnesty to upwards of 800,000 illegal aliens through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which was initiated in 2012, and this year Obama is threatening to expand DACA to five to six million illegal aliens.

“The American people have begged and pleaded for years for our laws to be enforced,” Sessions said in his statement calling for the American people to rise up.

More here….

Last spring and summer, Senator Jeff Sessions was the leading voice in opposition to the infamous “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill ultimately passed by the Senate. Here we especially made note when he called-out the meatpackers who lobby for cheap immigrant labor. They are especially interested in refugees—subsidized by your tax dollars.

Mass demonstration in Boston, Mass; did it make the news?

07/28/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Rally on Beacon Hill on Saturday. Image source: Twitter/Marc Lombardo

Update August 6th: Massachusetts off the hook after all, here.

Update: More protests in Massachusetts, Chicopee this time!

They demonstrated by the thousands on Beacon Hill on Saturday against the Obama Administration-generated surge and Obama pal Governor Deval Patrick’s comments that Massachusetts will take a thousand of the “children.” (but only for a few months!).

Do you think it’s as fascinating as I do that we are seeing such blow-back about illegal (and LEGAL) immigration in Massachusetts? Not just this demonstration, but also that two Mayors (in the peoples’ republic of Massachusetts!)—in Springfield and in Lynn (as early as 2011) are begging for relief from the refugee overload they have been experiencing.

The only thing I can make of it is that there comes a “tipping point” for everyone, no matter what political persuasion one comes from, when too many is too many! The New England states have been “welcoming” for much longer than some others, thus their population is more saturated with immigrants of all stripes in need of services. So can we expect to see the backlash elsewhere as the numbers of immigrants grow?

***Don’t forget*** today is the day to call your Member of Congress and US Senators and tell them to stop the border invasion. Melt the phone lines all week!

Here is the story at The Blaze (have you seen it in the national mainstream media?). Surely Rush Limbaugh will talk about it today on his show—-he as much as invited people to the demo on Friday, here.

The largest some observers have ever seen there:

Illegal immigration protesters descended upon historic Boston on Saturday decrying Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s decision to offer shelter in the state to unaccompanied minors.

And, here is the news at Boston.com:

An anti-illegal immigration rally on Beacon Hill outside the State House on Saturday, July 26 was teeming with protesters.

While Bree Sison of CBS Boston estimated that the gathering drew hundreds of people, Jeff Kuhner, the host of WRKO’s The Kuhner Report, who organized the rally, put the number closer to 10,000 people.

People carrying signs that said “Deport illegals,” and “Americans before illegals” stood just outside the State House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I predict that if Congress goes home for vacation and does nothing about the flood of ‘unaccompanied alien children’ crossing the border and being distributed around America, elected officials will be getting an earful when they meet constituents during their “break.”

All of our coverage of ‘unaccompanied minors’ is here (archive goes back several years).

Senator Jeff Sessions: Melt Congressional phone lines on Monday!

07/26/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update July 28th: You did it today! Do it again tomorrow!

From Breitbart News (via Drudge):

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is putting a call out to the American people: He needs help to kill President Barack Obama’s plans to grant executive amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

Sessions wants Americans to melt Congress’ phone lines, demanding their members make a precondition of any border crisis bill that Obama’s executive order amnesty via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and any future plans be stopped.

“The American people have begged and pleaded for years for our laws to be enforced,” Sessions said in his statement. “We have people in our own country living in violence, fear and poverty every single day. They have demanded an immigration policy that puts their jobs, wages and communities first. Every citizen should pick up the phone and ask of their congressional representative: where do you stand?”

Read it all!

And, then please listen to Mark Levin’s interview with Senator Jeff Sessions about the “crisis,” but especially listen to the Senator say it would be disastrous to change the definition of “refugee.”

See our previous post on Obama’s proposed expansion of the refugee resettlement program where I said this:

For me, this news, spells the end for the United States of America as we know it, and may well be the single most destructive act of all by a President who threatened/promised to “fundamentally change America.”

The US Capitol Switchboard number is this: (202) 224-3121, but you are all smart enough to find your individual Member or US Senators directly. If the Capitol phone lines are swamped, call their district offices. You, grassroots American citizens, defeated them with your calls in the 2007 amnesty battle, but now the stakes are much, much higher.

Ask your elected officials where they stand—with Obama, or with you!

Message to Congress: Tell Obama NO executive amnesty! Close the border, send the illegals home, and no vacation until you do!

Lutherans: “The children are a gift” and we need a second lobbyist in Washington to make sure the gift keeps giving

07/26/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Linda Hartke, CEO of one of the largest quasi-government agencies*** resettling refugees and illegal aliens around the country—the Baltimore-based Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service—continues to lecture us about how we need to “welcome” the children, here yesterday in the Salt Lake Tribune while receiving at least 97% of their funding from the US taxpayer (Hartke makes over $214,000 in salary and benefits). See 2012 Form 990, here.

Update: Be sure to see the responses to the Salt Lake Tribune op-ed, especially from the commenter ‘Bioethike.‘

However, 2012 is going to look pathetic compared to 2014 when they received a windfall of over $18 million so far for ‘unaccompanied alien children’ services.

Check out their recent grants here (one subcategory of grants includes something called ‘fingerprinting and foster care’). And, please note that they were getting Office of Refugee Resettlement grants in as early as 2009 for the ‘unaccompanied alien children’ (probably before that too, but this database only goes back to 2009).

Since they are booming in business generated by Washington, they are looking for a second advocate (aka lobbyist) to keep the migrants coming and the taxpayer money flowing. And, they now have to compete with big dogs, like that Baptist gang out of Texas which also has Washington lobbyists.

I sure hope for their sake that when they hire lobbyists they don’t use any federal grants and contract money for that purpose because that is illegal.

Yesterday reader Bob sent me this advertisement for a job in the Lutherans’ lobbying office. Be sure to read about the “duties.”

How can we, average taxpaying American citizens with no lobbyists, compete with this?

Company: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Location: Washington, DC

Date Posted: July 25, 2014

Source: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

DESCRIPTION

The Assistant Director for Advocacy carries out the advocacy efforts of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in collaboration with the Director for Advocacy and other LIRS staff to ensure the organization achieves its overall objectives in key priority areas. The Assistant Director helps shape and execute advocacy priorities and policy recommendations and engages LIRS partners and networks in advocacy through direct working relationships, participation in advocacy planning and events, and coordination.

DUTIES

Coordinate, lead, and attend advocacy meetings with congressional and executive branch staff to communicate and advance LIRS policy positions and ascertain obstacles to our recommendations; track legislation; respond to inquiries about migrants and refugees from the media, policymakers, and partners and allies; share and develop advocacy materials related to LIRS priority issues; often act as primary LIRS representative to both internal and external colleagues.Lead and participate in NGO coalition meetings to represent LIRS and engage in dialogue and collaborative thinking about shared advocacy goals (and carry out related tasks); often act as primary LIRS representative to both internal and external colleagues on panels, conferences, webinars, etc.Draft, coordinate, and provide strategic direction for LIRS’ Stand for Welcome e-mail messages, LIRS’ on-line Action Center and national blog posts, liaise between Advocacy and Grassroots Mobilization teams regarding online advocacy efforts, and direct work of staff and interns on implementation. Draft and develop LIRS materials for Congressional and government audiences as well as LIRS staff, faith leaders, affiliate partners and other constituents (statements, letters, invitations, fact sheets, web content, talking points, proposed legislative language, LIRS formal advocacy priorities, advocacy guides), as well as provide direction and train/supervise work of interns on implementation.Lead logistical planning for events and coordinate direct outreach to LIRS partners and constituents (make requests for specific advocacy actions, plan advocacy events including webinars and conference calls, accompany constituents to advocacy meetings as well as provide direction and train/supervise work of interns to assist), track advocacy engagement and respond to inquiries to develop new educational materials and advocacy campaigns; on certain issues act as primary LIRS representative to both internal and external colleagues.Travel outside of Washington, DC to share information with, meet, and learn from LIRS constituents, program partners, and refugees and migrants.Supervision and recruitment of LIRS Advocacy Interns. Meet weekly with staff to discuss ongoing work product, week’s schedule and events on the horizon, provide ongoing supervision of work, and meet periodically one-on-one to assess progress and receive feedback. Often train new staff on the Stand for Welcome campaign and LIRS Action Center. Support Director for Advocacy leadership in Director’s absence

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree required, relevant graduate work or degree preferred.Three to five years of immigration or refugee work experience.Knowledge of immigration and refugee laws and policies.Knowledge of federal legislative and regulatory processes, including ability to track and interpret legislation.Familiarity with non-profit advocacy work.Experience working with coalition partners.Experience in training and supervising interns or volunteers.Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications required.Deep commitment to LIRS’s core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.Experience with and commitment to working in a diverse workforce.Appreciation and respect for Lutheran beliefs and values, church member motivations and sensitivities.Strong ability to master substantive subject matter, implement advocacy strategies, produce high-quality written materials, and work independently and under pressure.Skills in synthesizing and communicating complex policy issues for different audiences.Excellent communication skills, especially writing and public speaking.Ability to maintain and nurture collegial relationships with Members of Congress, congressional staff, executive branch officials, coalition partners, Lutheran partners, and refugees and migrants.Ability to work well with others in small teams.Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.Effective meeting facilitation skills. Willingness and ability to travel occasionally.Familiarity with Luminate or other online relationship management software.Experience working with refugees, immigrants or limited English speakers.Proficiency in Spanish.Flexibility and sense of humor.

***The federal refugee resettlement contractors (we may have to start adding grant recipient big dogs Baptist Child and Family Services and Southwest Key Programs to our list):

Our complete archive on ‘unaccompanied minors’ goes back several years, click here for all of those posts.

Baptist contractor for illegal aliens gives Baptists generally a bad name

07/25/2014 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Lobbies to get a bigger piece of the action.

I suppose you could say that the new leading “Christian” charity/federal contractor hired by ORR to care for the “chiiildruuun” isn’t really made up of Baptists at all, they are just pretending to be so they can wear that ‘do-gooder’ white hat.

If I were of the Baptist faith, I’d be distancing myself from this bunch pretty quick.

Today the Daily Caller revealed that Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS) is lobbying for its taxpayer-supplied moolah and may not have reported that fact properly on it’s tax returns.

The other contractors*** lobby as well, but they skirt along the edges of the law by doing grassroots lobbying and hiring Washington “representatives” which is legal I suppose, but ethically stinks. They all have developed networks of activists who will respond to action alerts by calling or otherwise contacting their elected Washington Representatives and testifying in Congress when appealing for more money and more refugees.

In fact, that (organize grassroots) is all those Tea Party groups that the IRS has cheated were asking for the right to do—but there is one big difference! Unlike these contractors masquerading as Christian charities (and one Jewish charity) that receive almost their entire budgets from the US Treasury, the Tea Party groups receive no funding from the taxpayer.

That is what is so maddening! The “humanitarian” hustlers are using your money to lobby for more of your money! There ought to be a law!

BCFS apparently doesn’t have any grassroots, so they hire lobbying firms to get their (big) piece of the pie.

From the Daily Caller:

A Texas-based organization that has been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts by the Obama administration to house illegal immigrant children not only lobbied the federal government, but also failed to properly disclose the activity.

After The Daily Caller inquired about its lobbying disclosures, BCFS, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, now says it may correct its tax forms to properly disclose its lobbying expenditures.

The Obama administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, has tapped BCFS, formerly known as Baptist Child & Family Services, to provide security and other services to unaccompanied children at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, and Ft. Sill army base near Lawton, Okla.

BCFS has become the largest provider of such services for the child immigrants, who are part of a massive influx of mostly Central Americans that has put the Obama administration on its heels…

[….]

HHS has given BCFS $280 million in federal contracts for its services so far this year. Nearly all of that — $270 million — has been given for services for unaccompanied children. HHS has given BCFS $458 million in total, according to the Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System.

According to the Senate lobbying database, BCFS is the only organization that provides residential services directly for unaccompanied children that has spent money on lobbying.

Since 2006, BCFS has spent $210,000, according to a database maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Read it all, there is more and lots of links to follow.

See all of our previous posts on ‘unaccompanied minors’ by clicking here.

***The federal refugee resettlement contractors (we may have to start adding grant recipient big dogs Baptist Child and Family Services and Southwest Key Programs to our list):