I don’t know whether to take this story at its face value—new landlord wants to refurbish the apartments and put them back on the market at a higher price (landlords can do that right?). Or, whether there is more to this story and the new landlord needs to let’s just say, clean up.
(Once refugee resettlement contractors get a foothold in certain apartment complexes they tend to keep bringing them there often to the chagrin of the landlords.)
Before I get to the news, as Obama plans to welcome 85,000 new impoverished people to America, low income housing is increasingly unavailable—not just for refugees but for Americans with low incomes. So unless Obama gets his HUD projects moving quickly, there is going to be an extreme shortage of housing available for this next year’s delivery of 85,000 third worlders to America beginning this coming Thursday (October 1)!
One way to slow the flow to your town is to get involved in blocking the HUD housing Obama wants so badly, and I am hearing from some of you that HUD and its developer pals are already showing up in your nice middle class towns.
By the way, when you watch the IRC contractor almost in tears, note that these refugee tenants pay rent month by month which tells me that they are not becoming self-sustaining asLawrence Bartlett and other biased presenters told the audience in Twin Falls this past week was the goal.
And hey, Twin Falls, they have 400 poor refugees to move to new apartments in just a few weeks, some might be coming your way as Boise has a housing shortage! From KTVB-7(hat tip: an ever watchful reader):
To learn more about the International Rescue Committee (IRC), one of the federal contractors operating in Boise, go here. Their CEO, David Miliband (bff Hillary Clinton and George Soros), makes close to a half a million dollars a year to run the IRC and was one of the first to demand that the Obama Administration admit 65,000 Syrian refugees (now he is up to 100,000). Maybe he could pitch in a little cash to help the refugees he (a Brit) has invited to colonize America!
Correction! Bartlett didn’t say we don’t place refugees in unwelcoming communities, he said “unsafe” ones implying that those who are critical of the program might actually hurt the refugees—what a slap in the face!
Regular readers know that we have been closely following the controversy that has been brewing for months about the refugee resettlement program on-going in the Magic Valley of Idaho. See our post last week where we outlined a public meeting format that would be fair to all sides in the controversy (so it wouldn’t appear as a “dog and pony show”). Bartlett: We don’t resettle refugees into communities that don’t want them. Initial reports are that it was surprise! a “dog and pony show,” and that the Times-News refused to use any of the suggestions coming from the citizens in opposition that might have helped community members feel confident that the meeting was a fair one.
In fact, according to a leader of those who are questioning the program, Rick Martin, the public meeting might well be characterized as a meeting one would expect in “communist Cuba.”
We are anxiously waiting for a video tape of the entire meeting and will have more for you then.
However, here are a few nuggets to satisfy your curiosity in addition to the astounding statement reportedly made at the end of the nearly 3-hour meeting by Lawrence Bartlett representing the US State Department—we don’t send refugees to communities not willing to welcome them. (We will get the exact wording from the video taped recording).
From a first hand account:
The meeting was delayed because the line to get in stretched for about a mile and everyone was subjected to screening by a metal-detector and some were frisked.
Those in favor of more refugees being resettled in Twin Falls brought in van and car loads of people from outside of town (presumably from Boise). Some of those were refugees themselves (we have previously mentioned that ploy to play on public sympathy by using refugees as pawns at such meetings).
About 725 people were in attendance.
A New York Timesreporter was there, so look for news from the NYT.
Disgusted with the biased way in which the moderator asked questions, about ten in the audience walked out after about 45 minutes. One man shouted, “this is propaganda.”
Opposition leaders were happy with the opportunity to distribute their informational handouts.
There was much discussion about the national security fears of residents.
Questions about the health status of refugees and whether any presented serious medical threats to the community were not satisfactorily answered.
Opposition leaders say only about four of the fifty or so questions they submitted were asked and then the question was paraphrased (spun!) by the moderator. By the way,we had recommended that the paper should not have allowed its editor to moderate the meeting because of previously demonstrated bias, but the paper refused to replace him with a retired judge.
Much more later when we have had an opportunity to view the entire videotape of the meeting.
Oh, and I nearly forgot, you can read the Times-Newsaccount of the “forum,” here. (They don’t like RRW to excerpt their material, presumably so you will go and see their advertisers.)
All of our previous coverage of the Twin Falls controversy and the growing ‘Pocket of Resistance’ there can be found by clicking here.
Yesterday, someone sent me a link to a news story that reported that some small town in Michigan was going to ‘welcome’ 4,500 Syrians in the coming year. Sounded preposterous to me, but it did spur me on to do something I’ve wanted to do for the last week and that is find out exactly what towns and cities were already getting Syrian refugees. Here they come! Funny thing is that this photo of Syrians arriving in Europe accompanies a story about New York City Mayor De Blasio cool to resettlement in NYC! Wow! Go figure! http://jpupdates.com/2015/09/07/de-blasio-syrian-refugees-crisis-is-a-european-problem/
Knowing that once they got the initial “seeds” planted (seed is the word being used by Welcoming America), I know that they often then continue to pour them in. So I went back to the State Department’s data base (the Refugee Processing Center) to see where themostly Muslim Syrians have been distributed so far.
However, if your city is not on the list below it does not mean that you are off the hook.
Go to the US State Department’s list of subcontractors working in 190 towns and cities,here, to see if you have a US State Department contractor set up in your town.
I would also urge all of you to go to the contact information for an office near you (in that list ) and ask for the Fiscal Year 2016 Abstract.
Those abstractswill tell you how many refugees the agency plans to resettle, from where they will come, and what your town is offering them in the way of social services and other amenities.
The FY2016 Abstracts are now in the hands of the US State Department which has already made its decisions (or how else would Sec. of State Kerry be able to say that we can handle 85,000 refugees this coming year) and the contractor should not be withholding them on some flimsy grounds that they are somehow still in the decision-making process. Do not be surprised, however, if they refuse to give you the abstract because secrecy is a watchword of this program and has been for decades! I can’t emphasize enough that if they can’t find enough ‘welcoming’ locations, they will be out scouting for more unsuspecting towns. ‘Pockets of Resistance’are forming and if you would like to be linked up with fellow concerned citizens,sign up here at the Center for Security Policy and someone will be in touch with you.
1,709 Syrian (mostly Muslim) refugees have been resettled in the US between 1/1/2012 and yesterday.
95% are Muslims
When I looked up the cities where they were distributed, I rechecked the numbers of Muslims vs. Christians we were resettling and the percentage is still about the same—95% since 2012 are (Sunni) Muslims and 97% in calendar year 2015 are Muslims.And, that is because we allow the United Nations to choose our refugees! Here then are the towns/cities where those 1,709 Syrians have been resettled (some may only have received one Syrian so far, but that one should be considered a seed). Someone got these few: 43 Christians, 1 Catholic and 1 Yazidi resettled so far. Again, we are not saving the persecuted Christians in any significant way! Top Syrian Muslim receiving states are in red.
Arizona (Glendale, Phoenix, Tucson)
Arkansas (Springdale)
California (Burbank, Chatsworth, El Cajon, Fair Oaks, Los Angeles, Modesto, Moorpark, Oakland, Pasadena, Plumas Lake, Sacramento, Salinas, San Diego, Santa Ana, Turlock, Van Nuys, Walnut Creek, West Covina)
Colorado (Colorado Springs, Denver)
Connecticut (Bristol, Hartford, New Haven, West Haven)
Virginia (Burke, Centreville, Charlottesville, Falls Church, Newport News, Roanoke)
Washington (Richland, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver)
West Virginia (Charleston)
Wisconsin (Oshkosh)
And again, please cross check with this listwhere the refugee contractors are working! They can actually place refugees within a hundred miles of their offices!
Recently members of the ‘church’ community in Spartanburg, SC, involved with resettling refugees there, told the media that they expected to use the opportunity of resettling the refugees as an opportunity to bring them to Jesus Christ. See our extensive coverage on Spartanburg by going to our first post with updates,here.
However, such evangelizing is strictly forbidden in a contract prospective resettlement agencies sign with the US State Department.
Anne C. Richard, Asst. Secretary of State for Population Refugees and Migration: Thou shalt not discuss Jesus Christ with refugees (if you have signed a contract with the federal government)! (AP Photo/Joshua Paul)
I knew I had seen it somewhere (and written about it!), but this week a young researcher reminded me of where I had seen that prohibition. It is hereat a US State Department website explaining exactly what contractors can and cannot do when receiving money from you and me. This is the complete page from the State Department website (this will be filed in our ‘where to find information’category for future reference). There is a lot of good information here and I’ve highlighted some points that we need to remember.
Note that the unelected contractors sit down with the State Department and decide which of your towns will get the refugees.
The Reception and Placement Program
Planning for Refugees’ Arrival in the United States
The Department of State works with nine domestic resettlement agencies that have proven knowledge and resources to resettle refugees. Every week, representatives of each of these nine agencies meet to review the biographic information and other case records sent by the overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSC) to determine where a refugee will be resettled in the United States.During this meeting, the resettlement agencies match the particular needs of each incoming refugee with the specific resources available in a local community. If a refugee has relatives in the United States, he or she is likely to be resettled near or with them. Otherwise, the resettlement agency that agrees to sponsor the case decides on the best match between a community’s resources and the refugee’s needs.
Information about the sponsoring agency is communicated back to the originating RSC, which then works with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to transport the refugee to his or her new home. The cost of refugee transportation is provided as a loan, which refugees are required to begin repaying after they are established in the United States. [A large percentage do not repay the loan money and of the money collected, the contractor gets to keep a share of it!—ed]
Once in the United States
The Department of State has cooperative agreements with nine domestic resettlement agencies to resettle refugees. While some of the agencies have religious affiliations, they are not allowed to proselytize. The standard cooperative agreement between the Department of State and each of the domestic resettlement agencies specifies the services that the agency must provide to each refugee. All together, the nine domestic resettlement agencies place refugees in about 190 communities throughout the United States. Each agency headquarters maintains contact with its local affiliated agencies to monitor the resources (e.g., interpreters who speak various languages, the size and special features of available housing, the availability of schools with special services, medical care, English classes, employment services, etc.) that each affiliate’s community can offer.
As the cooperative agreement requires, all refugees are met at the airport upon arrival in the United States by someone from the sponsoring resettlement affiliate and/or a family member or friend. They are taken to their apartment, which has basic furnishings, appliances, climate-appropriate clothing, and some of the food typical of the refugee’s culture. Shortly after arrival, refugees are helped to start their lives in the United States. This includes applying for a Social Security card, registering children in school, learning how to access shopping facilities, arranging medical appointments, and connecting refugees with needed social or language services. [The contractors are paid by you to supply these services.—ed]
The Department of State’s Reception and Placement program provides assistance for refugees to settle in the United States. It supplies resettlement agencies a one-time sum per refugee to assist with meeting expenses during a refugee’s first few months in the United States. Most of these funds go toward the refugees’ rent, furnishings, food, and clothing, as well as to pay the costs of agency staff salaries, office space, and other resettlement-related expenses that are not donated or provided by volunteers.
Though the Department of State’s Reception and Placement program is limited to the first three months after arrival, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement works through the states and other nongovernmental organizations to provide longer-term cash and medical assistance, as well as language, employment, and social services. [They have three months to cost-shift this program and the care of the refugees to state taxpayers!—ed]
Refugees receive employment authorization upon arrival and are encouraged to become employed as soon as possible. Based on years of experience, the U.S. refugee resettlement program has found that people learn English and begin to function comfortably much faster if they start work soon after arrival. Most refugees begin in entry-level jobs, even if they have high-level skills or education. With time, many if not most refugees move ahead professionally and find both success and satisfaction in the United States.
After one year, refugees are required to apply for permanent residence (commonly referred to as a green card) and after five years in the United States, a refugee is eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. [And these same contractors/subcontractors are being paid (by you!) to get as many through the citizenship process as they can before 2016!—ed]
If you are a new reader, here are the nine major federal contractors that monopolizerefugee resettlement in America. LOL! You could never break into this cabal of contractors because in order to get these federal grants and contracts you have to prove you have experience resettling refugees, but you can never get experience because of the way the system is set up!
But, don’t you think it’s about time that the US Department of Homeland Security and the US State Department let the public know!
We are expected to have faith that the State Department (with the enthusiastic approval of the 14 members of the Senate Jihad Caucus) can bring in 65,000 Syrians and we’ll be just fine—no wannabe jihadists among them now? No children will grow up to be jihadists (like the Somalis)? Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, one of 14 Senators (Senate Jihad Caucus!) who sent a letter to Obama recently asking for the Administration to admit 65,000 Syrian refugees to the US ASAP! Can Senator Kaine guarantee our security? https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2015/05/22/14-us-senators-tell-obama-bring-more-syrians-to-america-65000-is-a-good-number/
That is the issue that jumped out at me when Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) got his second communication from the US State Department to his second inquiry about what was going on in his district.
Once again Leo Hohmann of World Net Dailyis on top of the story. He begins here with some background. Emphasis is mine:
Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy’s efforts to shed light on the government’s secretive refugee resettlement program continues to play out in letters between himself and the federal agency responsible for resettling thousands of foreign refugees in U.S. cities and towns every year.
Since his letters haven’t produced many answers, he’s now calling for a meeting with State Department officials.
Gowdy, R-S.C., started asking questions in April about how refugees are distributed to various cities, the impact on local job markets and public services, and who makes the key decisions, among other points of interest. His questions came after it was revealed that Spartanburg, a city in his home district, was selected to receive 60 to 65 refugees over the next year, mostly from Syria. Unable to answer all of the questions posed by some nervous constituents, Gowdy fired off letters to Secretary of State John Kerry.
After getting a response from Kerry that he said was “wholly inadequate” and “vague,” he demanded more specifics on May 4. On Wednesday, he received a second response, which he called a “non-response.”
The State Department secretly selected Spartanburg sometime last year to be one of its designated “receiving communities” for Syrian refugees, 92 percent of whom to date have been Muslim people that the FBI has said will be virtually impossible to safely screen for terrorist connections.
South Carolina’s Gov. Nikki Haley’s refugee coordinator then quietly approved the Spartanburg resettlement in December – again with no public input or notice.
Details of “security checks” are “classified!” And, we are supposed to take it as an article of faith from Obama’s State Department that we will be kept safe!
It is time for us to be told the details of how the security screening is accomplished and not just with the Syrians, but also with the Somalis! The truth is that some Somali young man shows up in a boat on Malta or in Malaysia and we accept who he says he is and bring him to the US as a refugee. There cannot possibly be any high level security check! If there is, then tell us how it is done!
Hohmann continues:
“As noted in our previous correspondence, all refugees … are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States,” states the latest letter to Gowdy, dated June 1. “The specific details of these checks are classified.”
FBI terrorism expert Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the agency’s counter-terrorism unit, has said that screening refugees from a “failed state” like Syria is beyond the capability of U.S. intelligence because the U.S. has no military presence in Syria and does not have access to reliable police or intelligence records. Steinbach testified publicly to this fact at a Feb. 11 hearing before the House Homeland Security committee.
Yet, the State Department continues to tell congressmen and the public that refugees are rigorously screened. The contradicting statements from the FBI and the State Department continue to trouble those in Spartanburg and elsewhere who have been pushing back against a refugee program they see as secretive and unaccountable to anyone, and the government hides details by working through a maze of private nonprofit “contractors.”
There is much more, read on here!
LOL! And, on this accountability issue, notice (in the latest State Department letter) that the US State Department is shifting responsibility to World Relief Spartanburg leader Jason Lee.
For new readers wishing to catch up on the Spartanburg/Rep Trey Gowdy issue, go to our first post on the controversy, here, in March. We have been updating it regularly.
