Yesterday I reminded readers that you have ten days to send in comments to the State Department about the “size and scope” of the Refugee Admissions Program for FY2017.
A commenter at our facebook page told people not to bother because they won’t listen anyway. Frankly, it just sounded like the advice of a lazy negative person to me. I told you in my post that there are many things you can and should do with your testimony even if you know the US State Department won’t listen to you. So please do it!
I just now realized that I told you in December 2015 what I said in previous years (called for a moratorium) and outlined a bit of the history of this “scoping” meeting. We attended for a few years in person until they stopped holding public hearings altogether, and we can only assume that they didn’t want to hear from us in person anymore. They also keep the testimony secret now (we previously were able to get all the testimony if we attended the public hearing).
By the way, regarding #5 in my past testimony, they are making progress in their reports to Congress, but most likely only because Congress is now paying some attention.
A reader suggested I re-post this map of the present sites where refugee contractors are working. But, remember they are now scouting out new sites—Missoula, MT, Rutland, VT and Ithaca, NY come immediately to mind.
Click here to see the 2016 Affiliates Map more clearly (color coding represents the nine major contractors, see legend).
LOL! I am reminded just now as I look at the map that as many as 5-6 (of nine) major contractors (being paid by the head to resettle the refugees) could be working (and competing!) in your city! Chicago has 8 of the 9!
Tag: US State Department
Reminder! Get your testimony in to the US State Department within the next ten days!
Editor: Below is a repost of a post from April 23rd. A reader suggested I remind you that as of tomorrow you have ten days to get your testimony/comments to the US State Department. You should take a few minutes and do this. You don’t have to say much, but whatever you say, be polite! (and copy anything you say to your elected representatives at all levels of govt!).
Also, if yours is not a resettlement site yet, you need to be watching for any hints that they are working in secrecy to tag your town as a new site. They are running out of places and Obama plans to announce at least 100,000 for FY2017 (he has one more shot at this in September). We recently reported on three new sites that we know of: Missoula, MT, Ithaca, NY and Rutland, VT.
(Reposted from April 23)
This is the official launch of the preparations underway for the Obama Administration’s last Refugee Admissions plan to be sent to Congress in September of this year. Obama has already signaled that he wants 100,000 refugees seeded into your towns in FY2017.
Each year at this time, the US State Department takes testimony from the public on how many refugees (and from where) that you, the taxpaying public, thinks we should admit. From past experience, we know, of course, that your testimony goes down a black hole!
For probably decades this testimony was taken in public and was dominated by federal contractors. However, we attended in three consecutive years, but starting last year, there was no longer an opportunity to go face-to-face to the State Department to tell them what we think. Why is that? Because in that last year where a PUBLIC hearing was held, the opposition to the program dominated the pro-open borders resettlement contractors and they didn’t like it one bit!
If you would like to see what some of your fellow critics of the program said in the past, go here, here and here (when you click each of these, scroll down for all the posts in the category). These are our archives for any discussion of hearing years 2012 (for FY13), 2013 (for FY14), and 2014 (for FY15). The only reason we obtained any of that testimony is that some of you sent it to us and we attended the hearings in person and were given the testimony.
That testimony is not made public because secrecy has always been the watchword of the program!
I doubt that any Member of Congress or Senator has ever attempted to make that testimony public and I’d bet a million bucks (if I had it!) that no Members/Senators have ever asked for that testimony! Shameful!
Anyway…..
Here (and below) is the Federal Register Notice for FY2017. You have until 5 p.m. on May 19th to submit written testimony!
I’m asking all of you to prepare and send in testimony by the May 19th deadline. You don’t have to do some deep analysis of the program, just tell them what you think, and what is happening where you live. (Please be professional and polite!)
I know I said it goes into a black hole, but you can use your testimony in other ways. Use it to do press releases and letters to the editor. Use it to ask your concerned local elected officials to send in testimony too.
Be sure to send your testimony to all of your elected officials at all levels of government (cc them on the testimony). When sending your testimony to your elected Washington representatives, ask them to do something in your cover letter so that they are at least put on notice that you want a response from them.
The United States actively supports efforts to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a critical component of the United States’ overall refugee protection efforts around the globe. In Fiscal Year 2016, the President established the ceiling for refugee admissions into the United States at 85,000 refugees.
As we begin to prepare the FY 2017 U.S. Refugee Admission Program, we welcome the public’s input. Information about the Program can be found at http://www.state.gov/g/prm/. Persons wishing to submit written comments on the appropriate size and scope of the FY 2016 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program should submit them by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2015 via email to PRM-Comments@state.gov or fax (202) 453-9393.Show citation box
If you have questions about submitting written comments, please contact Delicia Spruell, PRM/Admissions Program Officer atspruellda@state.gov.
Simon Henshaw,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2016-09267 Filed 4-20-16; 8:45 am]
State Department announces comment period for FY2017 Refugee admissions
This is the official launch of the preparations underway for the Obama Administration’s last Refugee Admissions plan to be sent to Congress in September of this year. Obama has already signaled that he wants 100,000 refugees seeded into your towns in FY2017.
Each year at this time, the US State Department takes testimony from the public on how many refugees (and from where) that you, the taxpaying public, thinks we should admit. From past experience, we know, of course, that your testimony goes down a black hole!
For probably decades this testimony was taken in public and was dominated by federal contractors. However, we attended in three consecutive years, but starting last year, there was no longer an opportunity to go face-to-face to the State Department to tell them what we think. Why is that? Because in that last year where a PUBLIC hearing was held, the opposition to the program dominated the pro-open borders resettlement contractors and they didn’t like it one bit!
If you would like to see what some of your fellow critics of the program said in the past, go here, here and here (when you click each of these, scroll down for all the posts in the category). These are our archives for any discussion of hearing years 2012 (for FY13), 2013 (for FY14), and 2014 (for FY15). The only reason we obtained any of that testimony is that some of you sent it to us and we attended the hearings in person and were given the testimony.
That testimony is not made public because secrecy has always been the watchword of the program!
I doubt that any Member of Congress or Senator has ever attempted to make that testimony public and I’d bet a million bucks (if I had it!) that no Members/Senators have ever asked for that testimony! Shameful!
Anyway…..
Here (and below) is the Federal Register Notice for FY2017. You have until 5 p.m. on May 19th to submit written testimony!
I’m asking all of you to prepare and send in testimony by the May 19th deadline. You don’t have to do some deep analysis of the program, just tell them what you think, and what is happening where you live. (Please be professional and polite!)
I know I said it goes into a black hole, but you can use your testimony in other ways. Use it to do press releases and letters to the editor. Use it to ask your concerned local elected officials to send in testimony too.
Be sure to send your testimony to all of your elected officials at all levels of government (cc them on the testimony). When sending your testimony to your elected Washington representatives, ask them to do something in your cover letter so that they are at least put on notice that you want a response from them.
Federal Register Notice:
The United States actively supports efforts to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a critical component of the United States’ overall refugee protection efforts around the globe. In Fiscal Year 2016, the President established the ceiling for refugee admissions into the United States at 85,000 refugees.
As we begin to prepare the FY 2017 U.S. Refugee Admission Program, we welcome the public’s input. Information about the Program can be found at http://www.state.gov/g/prm/. Persons wishing to submit written comments on the appropriate size and scope of the FY 2016 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program should submit them by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2015 via email to PRM-Comments@state.gov or fax (202) 453-9393.Show citation box
If you have questions about submitting written comments, please contact Delicia Spruell, PRM/Admissions Program Officer at spruellda@state.gov.
Simon Henshaw,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2016-09267 Filed 4-20-16; 8:45 am]
Iraqi refugees entering US at rate of (only) 699 per month; 82% Muslim
Since readers seem to have liked previous posts on Syrians and Somalis resettled in the US in FY2016, I thought you might like to see how the Iraqi flow is going. I’m surprised to see that the number is much lower than last year.
Does that mean we are approaching a point where we have pretty well cleared Iraq of anyone who wants to come to the US?
We have been bringing, on average, about 15,000 Iraqis a year since Obama took office.
As of March 31st (the halfway point in the fiscal year), we invited (only) 4,194 Iraqis to come and live in your towns (data here). That is way down!!!
Here is the map of where they’ve been placed since October 1, 2015 (source: Refugee Processing Center):
The top ten states for Iraqi resettlement are these (they usually place them where there are already a large number of a specific ethnic group because they know they like to live with their own kind of people, and that is o.k. for them, but not for you! You would be racist if you expressed a similar desire—to live with your kind of people!):
California (634)
Texas (579)
Michigan (390)
Washington (214)
Virginia (177)
Illinois (159)
Arizona (157)
Tennessee (143)
Ohio (134)
Florida (112)
Surprisingly Nebraska comes in for honorable mention with 109.
Since the vast majority are Muslims (82%), the feds and the contractors also like to place them where there are plenty of mosques. Here is how this group breaks down (their spelling):
Moslem: 134
Moslem Shiite: 1,294
Moslim Suni: 2,017
LOL! Note that they are bring both sides of the centuries-old dispute between the Moslem sects to live side by side in America (good luck with that!).
We have a huge category on Iraqi refugees with 687 previous posts for ambitious readers!
Are you within a 100-mile radius of a resettlement site? If so, you are in the (ever-expanding) target range
First, if you haven’t done so already, go to this list (click here) and find out where your closest UN/US State Department designated resettlement office is located. See the map here.
Then draw a circle one hundred miles out from that city/town.*** If your town is within that circle, you could be seeing some of the huge surge of refugees expected to arrive in the US by September 30th. (And, of course the following year many more as Obama has promised that at his last opportunity, for FY2017, he will be recommending 100,000, unless a new President comes in and rescinds that order).
Here is an article reader Diane brought to my attention (we mentioned it before, and the link has now been corrected thanks to Diane), but am posting it again because a huge push is on to find new resettlement locations (original ones are now getting very overloaded).
US Together is affiliated with Hebrew Immigration Aid Society, a national resettlement organization, which began plans to open an office in Toledo about five years ago. The Toledo office resettles people within a 100-mile radius of the city.
I first heard this ‘100-mile rule’ in 2007 when a US State Department employee told me about it in relationship to what was happening in my county seat—-Hagerstown, MD.
This bit of information is important as we also now see a push to open more offices that fall within the hundred mile radius of an existing office, but will themselves now serve as another hub with its hundred mile radius.
This is done for several reasons, the first of course is that they need more and more ‘welcoming’ locations with subsidized housing in which to seed refugees, but they also want to be sure relatives are resettled within a reasonable distance of each other. And, finally, the contractor wants to make it easier for their own staff to get to their new “clients” and get them hooked up with their “services.”
***Look at this cool tool! You can draw a circle with whatever radius you choose around your town or city! Click here and try it!