This is really a kind of ‘nothing-burger’ articlefrom a policy wonk at the Brooking’s Institution attempting to influence the Far Left Dems to ask questions about refugees when Trump’s new pick to head the US State Department, Mike Pompeo, goes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today.
Trump: Mike Pompeo and I are on the same wavelength! https://www.today.com/video/trump-mike-pompeo-and-i-are-on-the-same-wavelength-1184613443805?v=b
Hereis a bit of it. We can definitely agree with Jessica Brandt‘s opener—the Trump Administration needs to staff-up at DOS. But, they must assure people loyal to the President and his policies are in those appointed jobs!
Tomorrow [today—-ed], former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s pick to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, will come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing is an opportunity for congressional leaders to question him on a broad range of consequential subjects. Resourcing the State Department should be first on the list. It is difficult, if not impossible, to craft and implement an effective set of strategies on any foreign policy issue without the personnel in place to do so.
Jessica Brandt is “a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Trilateral Commission.”
But exploring Pompeo’s views on refugee policy should also be a high priority.That’s for three reasons.
First, Pompeo has a history of expressing deep distaste for refugee policies he views as lax. While in Congress, he cosponsored a bill calling for an immediate ban on the entry of all refugees, regardless of their country of origin. The measure would have gone farther than then-candidate Trump’s controversial proposal to bar Muslim immigration. Later that year, after returning home from a study tour focusing on the migration crisis in Europe, he argued in support of Trump’s instincts on these issues in the Wall Street Journal.
You can read the rest yourself by clicking here.
Then this closer made me laugh. These Leftists can’t help themselves. In an article at the venerable Brookings Institution, Ms. Brandt can’t resist the snark!
Pompeo’s answers to these questions could reveal a great deal about how he plans to approach a sensitive, consequential issue. I hope he plans to be more forward leaning than his predecessor. But given his record, I doubt it.
And, btw, what the heck is “forward leaning?” I think we know….
I’m getting sick of these Uzbek refugees who should never have been admitted to the US under questionable circumstances in the first place—both George W. Bush and Obama were doing it!
Uzbekistan is a Muslim country, supposedly moderate, so the refugees we got are apparently the trouble makers the moderate government wanted removed. Our Presidents said, sure we’ll take care of it for you.
This isn’t going to be a thorough post of Uzbek terrorists because I want to move on this morning, however I see just last month an Uzbek Islamic terrorist pleaded guilty to killing five in a Sweden truck attack.
Ten days ago we reported on Uzbek convicted terrorist Fazliddin Kurbanov who was found guilty of trying to kill a California prison warden (tried to behead him!).*** Trump agreed to take Australia’s rejected refugees, why? https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2018/03/05/more-of-australias-rejected-asylum-seekers-leave-for-us/
My Uzbek archive is here.
Someone should write a book! See if you can get the Dept. of State and the CIA to cough up the real story on why we brought so many Uzbek fake ‘refugees’ to the US and distributed them around the country.
BTW, one of my major complaints with the US Refugee Admissions Program is that we aren’t picking the most needy people to be our refugees, we often use the program for extracurricular foreign policy objectives.
Trump is doing it with the “dumb” Australia deal. Bush did it with Uzbeks and Meskhetians. Before him Clinton did it with Albanians. Obama continued the Uzbek flow, and was doing it with Central Americans among others.
Here is some news on Bahktiyor Jumaevand his alleged former Islamic jihadist roommate Jamshid Muhtorov—refugees who should never have been here!
From Breitbart:
(hat tip: Chris)
The trial for a refugee from Uzbekistan charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization by wiring money to the “Islamic Jihad Union” (IJU) began in Denver, Colorado, on Thursday.
Prosecutors claim Bahktiyor Jumaev developed a closeness with fellow Uzbek Jamshid Muhtorov when the pair shared an apartment and that the two men discussed joining the IJU through phone calls and emails by using code words such as “wedding” to describe jihad.
“It’s a crime to send money or property to a terrorist organization,” said prosecutor Gregory Holloway at a courthouse in Denver. “That’s why we’re here.”
[….]
In January, Jumaev’s lawyers asked a judge not to allow the prosecution to show jurors a video showing the beheading of FBI agents found on Muhtorov’s computer.
“There is no evidence that Mr. Jumaev viewed any or most of the Muhtorov electronic evidence, particularly the most violent ones,” the motion read.
Muhtorov was first arrested before boarding a flight in Chicago back in 2012 and is currently being tried separately. He has already served five years in jail without trial, and a decision last year to release him on bail was eventually reversed by a federal judge.
The men are two of a number Uzbek migrants charged with terrorism-related offenses in the past year. Last August, 22-year-old Uzbek-American Abror Habibo pled guilty to charges of agreeing to fund terrorist activity, after buying another man a plane ticket to Syria in order to join the Islamic State.
Uzbek migrant Sayfullo Saipov also faces charges of terrorist after carrying out a truck attack that killed eight people and injured at least a dozen others in the city’s deadliest attack since 9/11.
***Breitbartforgot to mention Fazliddin Kurbanov. The pair in Colorado were sending money supposedly, Kurbanov was actually planning bombings and tried to kill the prison warden.
And, don’t you wonder why Jamshid Muhtorov hasn’t gone to trial yet?
I laughed this morning as I noticed more new articles from all over the place using the word “plummet” in their headlines, a sure sign that talking points have gone out (probably from the Refugee Council USA) and the media lemmings have followed the instructions.
I have no idea how the numbers might go up or down as Mike Pompeo takes the reins at the US State Department. But, you know, we will be watching!
(I’ll report on the 6 month of FY18 numbers a week from today, but it looks like Trump’s State Department is on target to reach just over 20,000 this year far below the admission ceiling of 45,000 the Trump Admin set back in September. However, don’t forget that paying clients arecoming in as SIVs from Iraq and Afghanistan to help put money in the contractors’*** pockets.)
Other words that are being used include: “tumble,” “dip,” and “dropped dramatically,” but none have the ring or impact of “plummet.” ***Update*** Add “drastic decline.” Note to Minnesotans!
When I looked at the admission numbers (Wrapsnet) for this month so far—March 1 to today—I was surprised to see that MN was the top receiving state for refugees. Now remember this is only for a few weeks, but the top receiving states are usually California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, New York (big population states).
In the last 3 weeks MN ‘welcomed’ 124 new Minnesotans (only 10 were Somalis). The largest group were Burmese (78). When I do my monthly accounting a week from today I’m going to check to see how many Burmese Muslims (Rohingya) we are bringing in now. So far, our refugee flow from Burma has been dominated by Christian and other religious minorities, but the Rohingya numbers are picking up.
***For new readers, these (below) are the nine federally-funded refugee resettlement contractors that work with over 300 subcontractors around the country to place refugees in your towns. They also are leading community organizing (political agitation) groups that outright oppose Donald Trump and his policies on, not just refugees, but all types of immigration including the fact that they support amnesty for illegal aliens. Reform of the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program is not possible until they are stripped of their power which you provide through your tax dollars.
The number in parenthesis is the percentage of the nine VOLAGs’ income paid by you (the taxpayer) to place the refugees, line them up with jobs, and get them signed up for their services! From most recent accounting, here.
But a big problem, says the Government Accountability Office , is that neither the US State Department or the Office of Refugee Resettlement in HHS are doing much to track the outcomes of those admitted to the US from Iraq and Afghanistan who supposedly worked for us as interpreters.
I told youhere recentlythat the number admitted to the US from those two violent countries is pushing 70,000 in the last ten years.
As Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders they are treated as full-fledged refugees with all the welfare benefits other refugees receive.
We have been told that the resettlement contractors*** are relying on these paying clients to keep federal dollars flowing to their budgets as the refugee flow they hoped for is not materializing.
Some members of Congress must have requested this GAO study because problems are obviously brewing with this portion of our ‘welcome’ to Middle Eastern Muslims. I did not read the whole report, here, but it seems that there are some pretty disillusioned SIVs who thought they would have good jobs and decent housing when they got here.
Here are a few snips from the summary:
Not exactly a bombshell title:
AFGHAN AND IRAQI SPECIAL IMMIGRANTS:More Information on Their Resettlement Outcomes Would Be Beneficial
What GAO Found
Since fiscal year 2011, about [about?—ed] 13,000 Afghan and Iraqi nationals (excluding family members) have resettled in the United States under special immigrant visas (SIV), but limited data on their outcomes are available from the Department of State (State) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). State collects data on SIV holders’ resettlement outcomes once—90 days after they arrive. GAO’s analysis of State’s data from October 2010 through December 2016 showed that the majority of principal SIV holders—those who worked for the U.S. government—were unemployed at 90 days, including those reporting high levels of education and spoken English.
Very high unemployment rate at 90 days. Why is 90 days important? That is when their resettlement contractor is done with them and has moved on to the next batch of paying clients (aka refugees). By 90 days the SIV is expected to be self-sufficient. BTW, don’t you wonder who the 1,760 “interpreters” without “good spoken English” are?
GAO continues…
Stakeholders [must be referring to the resettlement contractors—ed] GAO interviewed reported several resettlement challenges, including capacity issues in handling large numbers of SIV holders, difficulties finding skilled employment, and SIV holders’ high expectations.
Officials from local resettlement agencies in Northern Virginia reported capacity challenges for their agencies and the community due to the large increase of SIV holders. In almost all of GAO’s focus groups with principal SIV holders, participants expressed frustration at the need to take low-skilled jobs because they expected that their education and prior work experience would lead to skilled work. [You can bet they aren’t going to the slaughterhouse jobs where contractors like to place those in their care.—-ed]
State and HHS have taken steps to address some resettlement challenges. For example, in 2017 State placed restrictions on where SIV holders could resettle and HHS announced a new grant to support career development programs for SIV holders, refugees, and others.
In addition, State provides information to prospective SIV holders about resettlement. However, the information is general, and lacks detail on key issues such as housing affordability, employment, and available government assistance. Providing such specifics could lead to more informed decisions by SIV holders on where to resettle and help them more quickly adapt to potential challenges once in the United States. [I don’t think that GAO knows that the SIVs original resettlement location is not chosen by the refugees, but by the State Department in conjunction with contractors*** as they bid for bodies (aka paying clients).—ed]
In light of so many disillusioned and unemployed SIVs, I sure hope that someone is reporting that news to others in the pipeline on their way to America!
Why the discrepancy in the numbers?
I wondered if GAO is downplaying the numbers on purpose…. were they as shocked as we are to find these enormous numbers?
In the summary, GAO talks about 13,000 SIVs since 2011, excluding family members, but in the full report they describe the real numbers we have placed in your towns and cities.
And, rather than saying “over 60,000”, they could have said closer to 70,000! As Ireported early this month, using data readily available at the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center (Wrapsnet), we admitted from FY2008-right up to my post on March 8th, the numbers as follows:
Iraq: 18,084
Afghanistan: 49,358
Total to March 8th: 67,442
When I went to the full report they say this (below) on Page 1, but once again use the word “about.” They do clarify one point: “about 20,000” are the people who worked for us or on behalf of us, the remaining, over 40,000! are their family members.
Afghan and Iraqi nationals who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan or Iraq and have experienced ongoing serious threats as a consequence of such employment, or who worked directly with the U.S. Armed Forces or under chief of mission authority as a translator or interpreter, may apply for a special immigrant visa (SIV) to the United States.
Upon securing a visa, the principal SIV holder and his or her eligible dependents may resettle in the United States and are granted lawful permanent resident status upon admission into the United States. Since fiscal year 2008, over 60,000 individuals—about 20,000 principal SIV holders and their families—have been admitted under SIVs and received federal resettlement assistance upon arrival.
SIV holders are authorized to receive resettlement assistance from the Departments of State (State) and Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as federal public benefits, to the same extent and for the same periods of time as refugees.
***These are the nine federal contractors working with the US State Department to place the SIVs and their families. Although GAO seems to have been fixated on how poorly the State Department and ORR are keeping track of the SIVs and their progress toward assimilation, it seems to me that the contractors should come in for more blame if their charges are doing so poorly.
The number in parenthesis is the percentage of the nine VOLAGs’ income paid by you (the taxpayer) to place the refugees, line them up with jobs, and get them signed up for their services! From most recent accounting, here.
Unhappy is probably a mild description of the mood of refugee activists inside and outside the government with the posting of Andrew Veprek, described as an aide to the White House’s resident monster, Stephen Miller, to a post as Deputy Asst. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).
Politico says that inside the agency, other staff might resign in protest.
(They obviously are convinced Veprek is on the side of slowing the refugee flow to America. And, for the record, I don’t know him, so I couldn’t say.) Here is Politicoreporting the latest discouraging news for the once prosperous refugee industry: Since I couldn’t find a pic of Stephen Miller’s right hand man Veprek, this is my image of how the refugee industry is viewing the appointment.
A White House aide close to senior policy adviser Stephen Miller who has advocated strict limits on immigration into the U.S. has been selected for a top State Department post overseeing refugee admissions, according to current and former officials.
Andrew Veprek’s appointment as a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) is alarming pro-immigration activists who fear that President Donald Trump is trying to effectively end the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
Current and former officials also describe Veprek’s appointment as a blow to an already-embattled refugee bureau.
The Deep State blabs to Politico:
Veprek is a Foreign Service officer detailed to the White House, which listed him as an “immigration adviser” in a 2017 staff document. He has worked closely there with Miller and the Domestic Policy Council, according to a current State official and a former one in touch with people still serving in the department.A former U.S. official also confirmed the appointment.
In interagency debates, some administration officials have viewed Veprek as representing Miller’s hard-line views about limiting entry into the U.S. for refugees and other immigrants.
Veprek played an influential role in Trump administration’s December withdrawal from international talks on a nonbinding global pact on migration issues. He also argued in favor of dramatically lowering the nation’s annual cap on refugee admissions, the current and former officials said.
Resignations coming???
Politico continues….
“He was Stephen Miller’s vehicle,” the former State official said. The current official predicted that some PRM officials could resign in protest over Veprek’s appointment.
“My experience is that he strongly believes that fewer refugees should admitted into the United States and that international migration is something to be stopped, not managed,” the former U.S. official said, adding that Veprek’s views about refugees and migrants were impassioned to the point of seeming “vindictive.”
Veprek’s appointment as a deputy assistant secretary is unusual given his relatively low Foreign Service rank, the former and current State officials said, and raises questions about his qualifications. Such a position typically does not require Senate confirmation. [It is significant that Trump has still not chosen an Asst. Secretary for PRM because that job does require Senate confirmation—a hellstorm they are apparently avoiding.—ed]
Politico tells us that Sec. of State Tillerson has given up on the idea of scrapping PRM. If I understand it, he was considering moving the refugee program to Homeland Security, a proposal that had some merit in my opinion.
[….]
The White House referred questions to the State Department. A State Department spokesperson confirmed Veprek’s new role and, while not describing his rank, stressed that Veprek comes to PRM “with more than 16 years in the Foreign Service and experience working on refugee and migration issues.”
[….]
The PRM bureau, like several other bureaus at the State Department, does not yet have an assistant secretary to lead it. People familiar with the bureau say the morale among its employees has sunk to unusually low levels as top officials have left or been reassigned and amid the anti-refugee messages emanating from the White House. But initial worries that Tillerson would scrap the bureau completely have faded, at least for now, as the secretary has scaled back plans to restructure the department.
More here.
In another report on the “refugee hard-liner”, The Hillsays this of Trump’s reduction in the number of refugees to be admitted to the US:
The move signaled that there would no longer be a need for all of the 324 resettlement offices that were operating in 2017.
As we reported extensively in the waning years of the Obama Administration, the State Department was on a high identifying as many as 40 prospective NEW resettlement sites.
Elections have consequences after all. But the consequences come with a time stamp and if there is no move to reform the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program by Congress, by changing the law, during the Trump Administration, the program will simply pick up where it left off when a new President (without Trump’s guts) comes in, bumps the numbers up, opens those offices and away they will go!
Where is Congress?
