Washington Post beats the drums for more Syrian refugee resettlement to US

12/28/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

It wasn’t long after we first began writing Refugee Resettlement Watch (in 2007) that we saw the media, especially one reporter—Matthew Lee of the Associated Press—begin the drumbeat to bring large numbers of Iraqi refugees to the US. Here is our entire archive on Lee’s apparently personal mission.

USCCB’s Anastasia Brown: We want Obama to go over the 70,000 refugee cap to get more Syrians into your towns and cities.

Every month as only a “trickle” of Iraqis got in, Lee faithfully reported the number in the trickle and those in the refugee industry he quoted blamed that evil meany George Bush. It turns out though that the slow early arrival of Iraqis had a lot to do with security clearance issues (some terrorists did slip in with the huddled masses of supposedly poor people).

Now, Iraqis make up the largest number of any group getting into the US through the State Department’s Refugee program. 19,491 Iraqis came to the US in FY2013.

The drumbeat for Syrian resettlement had already begun, but when I saw these two companion stories at the Washington Post yesterday, I immediately figured — here we go again! There is a mention in these stories about concerns for security screening, but missing is any blame being heaped on Obama directly. Oh, there is mention of the Obama Administration, but not the man himself. Obama could, if he wanted to, expand the number of Syrians entering the US.

You can read the articles yourself, here and here.

From the article entitled, ‘U.S. says it hopes to offer asylum to 35,000, might include up to 2,000 Syrians,‘ there is nothing here we don’t already know.

The State Department said Thursday that the United States wants to bring in up to 35,000 permanent refugees from the Middle East and South Asia in fiscal 2014. The target would include vulnerable Iraqis, Afghans, Iranians and Pakistanis, as well as Syrians. [See Obama’s Presidential Determination for 2014, here—ed]

The U.N. refugee agency has set an ambitious goal of moving more than 30,000 Syrians into permanent or long-term homes abroad by next October. The United States might take as many as 2,000, although it is unlikely to meet its own target.

Catholics lobby for more Syrians, want to go above Obama’s 70,000 target for 2014

As we reported here earlier in the month, the federal contractors (leading the pack is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops) are lobbying to expand that number of Syrians and I suspect it is they who are behind getting stories like these planted in the Washington Post. And, if you are wondering, you should know the Catholic Bishops are not lobbying specifically for the Christian Syrians, they welcome and resettle the Muslim refugees as well.

Watch for more stories like these in the Washington Post critical of the Obama Administration’s apparent reluctance to open our doors to Syrians. Why they are so far reluctant is an interesting question.

University of Wisconsin hosts conference on discrimination against Muslim Rohingya

12/22/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Nigerian woman carried from church which had been attacked by Muslims

And, they claim the Rohingya of Burma are the “most persecuted people in our time.”

I suspect the Christians of the Middle East (Syria, Iraq) and Africa (Egypt, Nigeria, Central African Republic) might beg to differ.

Here is the story at Eurasia Review:

The first international conference in the USA on the plight of the Rohingya people of Myanmar – “Stop Genocide and Restore Rohingya’s Citizenship Rights in Myanmar” – was held in the campus of University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee on December 14, 2013. It was jointly hosted by the Burmese Rohingya American Friendship Association (BRAFA) and the Rohingya Concern International (RCI). The conference opened with a welcome speech from BRAFA’s chairman – Mr. Shaukhat Kyaw Soe Aung (MSK Jilani) and Dr. Chia Vang of the Ethnic Studies program at the university. The program was conducted by Mr. Mohiuddin Yosuf, President of the RCI and Chief Coordinator of the conference organizing committee. I was invited as a speaker. Amongst others, the speakers included – Professor Greg Stanton of the Genocide Watch (George Mason University), Mr. Nurul Islam of ARNO (UK), Sheikh Ziad Hamdan of Islamic Society of Milwaukee….

[….]

The Rohingya people, who mostly live in the western Rakhine state of Myanmar, are the most persecuted people in our time.

The conference called upon the government of Burma (aka Myanmar) to do the following:

The Government of Myanmar to stop persecution, discrimination and dehumanizing of Muslims, including repealing laws and policies that enact or contribute to the persecution of Muslims and other targeted groups within Myanmar.

The Government of Myanmar to crack down on anti-Muslim violence against Rohingya and other Muslims.

I sure hope the University’s ethnic studies department will soon host a program on Muslim violence toward Christians on several continents!

For new readers who might ask why do we follow the Rohingya issue so closely? We have been following the drum beat (the PR campaign!) for over five years now as we have watched the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and other of the federal resettlement contractors pushing to resettle Rohingya in your towns and cities. So far the number is small, and we only know from news accounts that Muslim Burmese are mixed in with the thousands of other religious groups from Burma. The US State Department does not release to the public the religious breakdown of refugees resettled in the US, although they do track those statistics.

See our extensive Rohingya Reports category, here.

Photo is posted at ACT for America Houston, some other photos are more gruesome.

Catholic Charities raking in government bucks in Louisville, KY

12/13/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

When I saw this article entitled, ‘Sponsor a refugee family for holiday giving,’ I thought to myself, that’s nice they are asking Catholics to give Christmas (oops! “holiday”) gifts to refugees by “sponsoring” a family. Of course, I immediately thought why don’t they ask churches, groups and individuals to sponsor a family for a year!

Then half way down the gushy piece comes this section of the article filled with the usual misinformation about who really is paying for refugees—YOU!

And, get this! Catholic Charities of Louisville has an indoctrination program that is going national in 2014—You will likely be paying them through federal grants to “educate” your kids too!

From the Examiner.com (emphasis mine):

So who brings these refugees to the United States and who financially supports them? Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) is one of the local affiliates of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, under newly-elected president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, which assists in the resettlement process. As a branch of Catholic Charities, MRS has resettled approximately one-third of all refugees entering the United States, totaling over 10,000 refugees since 1975. [They are surely missing some zeros because the US has now taken in well over a million refugees—ed] Out of the 120 organizations run by Catholic Charities, MRS now ranks five. Funding of the program comes primarily from the federal government and the Archdiocese of Louisville. [Very little from private funding as you will see below —ed] From October 2012 thru September 2013, MRS has resettled over 1000 refugees in Louisville neighborhoods coming from over 20 countries. The top five nationalities are Burmese, Somalia, Iraq, Bhutan and Cuba.

MRS assists with various programs to help refugees reach the goal of self-sufficiency within six months. In addition to providing basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, furnishings and transportation, all refugees attend English classes and cultural orientation programs, receive medical services, and are assisted with job search and placement. According to Chris Clements, Community Resource Developer, “87% percent of refugees have reached self-sufficiency status within a six-month period since October 2013.” [No way! They are not self-sufficient if they get subsidized housing and food stamps, and there is no way 87% are not on one or both of those welfare programs—ed] Many refugees who had professional jobs in their own countries begin with entry-level jobs here and work their way up. “They are happy to be here and willing to work,” noted Clements. Catholic Charities have assisted by hiring some refugees. “About 40% are former refugees. [Of course that helps CC’s employment statistics!—ed] They know what it’s like and can identify with them.” Many have opened stores and restaurants, adding to the diversity and ethnic possibilities within the community [With micro-loans funded by the feds with your money!—ed] Louisville is a welcoming place for refugees by offering a medium-size city, affordable cost of living, lower crime rate, better employment opportunities, English programs in public schools, and bus transportation.

Propaganda campaign coming to your school next year!

To heighten awareness about refugees and transitions they encounter, Catholic Charities of Louisville and local educators developed a program that will be introduced on a national level for other agencies in Washington, DC in July 2014. This curriculum guide, Seeking Refuge: Forced to Flee, takes participants into a simulated refugee camp by navigating thru a series of stations, encountering communication, medical and legal barriers. The program was initiated in various schools and parishes for the past 10 years, and its success has multiplied each year.

In building awareness about the plight of refugees, word will hopefully spread that these families arrive here with only a few of their personal belongings….

So, every child will be guilt-tripped into never again questioning why we are doing this—importing third world poverty into America while we have our own poor and needy people.

Have a look at Catholic Charities of Louisville’s latest Form 990.

They took in $13,179,017. (page 9)

They received $11,349,920 from GOVERNMENT GRANTS. 86% of their funding comes from TAXPAYERS!

$773,162 came from related organizations (probably the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as pass-through from the federal government too!).

That leaves $1,055,935 from all other contributions. Only 8% of their funding is from presumably private sources.

They couldn’t exist without your money.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the ACLU to raise a question of the separation of church and state because CC and the ACLU are on the same political team.

Haitians coming to US by sea, government warns of dangers

12/13/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We report all the time about the Mediterranean boat people trying to reach Europe from Africa (many dying in the process), or the many boats full of mostly Muslim migrants trying to reach Australia, but this is the first time I’ve become aware of Haitians in large numbers employing people smugglers to get to the US.

30 died and 110 saved from this overloaded boat just last month. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images

The US Coast Guard has prepared a Public Service Announcement in hopes of halting the practice.

From NBC News (hat tip: pungentpeppers):

MIAMI – Following dozens of known drowning deaths at sea this year, the U.S. Coast Guard and Haitian-American community activists unveiled a public service campaign Thursday urging Haitians to avoid immigrant smugglers. They’re also asking Haitian family members in the United States to refrain from financing the smuggling operations, because they are so dangerous.

“Do not go to the sea. Do not put yours lives in the hands of these ruthless smugglers,” said Captain Mark Fedor, Chief of Law Enforcement for the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami.

[…..]

In the last year, U.S. officials have seen a dramatic rise in the number of Haitians being smuggled in small, often-overcrowded boats across the 80-mile-wide Mona Passage to Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth.

So far this year, the Coast Guard and other law enforcement officials have apprehended 2,265 Haitians crossing the Mona Passage. That compares to just 188 Haitians caught there in the previous eight years.

It is not clear what is done with those “rescued.” Are they returned to Haiti? Or do they get taken care of under a program called the Cuban Haitian Entrant Program where at least 20,000 Cubans and Haitians become eligible for taxpayer support every year in a program pretty much run by federal contractors—the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Church World Service—but paid for by you.

We haven’t written much about Haiti lately, but I see we have 52 previous posts on the subject, largely related to the temporary protected status they have available to them.

Photo is from this story. By the way, what happened to all the celebrities who were rushing to Haiti after the Earthquake to bring them aid? Did they get bored and go home? Move on to the next humanitarian photo-op?

Catholics pushing Obama to expand 2014 refugee numbers to accommodate large number of Syrians

12/03/2013 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Fiscal year 2014 has been underway since October 1st, and in his Presidential Determination, Obama says he wants 70,000 refugees to be admitted to the US in this fiscal year.

Only about 2,000 Syrian slots have been mentioned, however it seems that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and other contractors are lobbying for the President to go above the 70,000 ceiling to accommodate a larger number of Syrians due to the “extraordinary situation.”

I don’t know if Obama can do this without Congressional consultation, but even if he has to at least tell Congress, historically Congress hasn’t paid one bit of attention to how many and from where refugees are admitted. Maybe they would pay attention if readers here contacted their US Senators and Members of Congress on the subject of Syrians.

One stumbling block in the Catholic Bishop’s scheme is the material support of terrorism bar discussed here by Anastasia Brown, the USCCB’s point person on the refugee program.

Here is the news from the Catholic Sentinel (emphasis is mine):

With an estimated 6.5 million Syrians — one-third of the country’s population — displaced from their homes, aid agencies are scrambling to meet needs that go beyond traditional emergency assistance.

[….]

As to the next steps for Syrians, Aleinikoff said groundwork has been laid for permanent resettlement for some refugees in other countries, including the United States.

During 2014, the UNHCR, which manages the initial screening and referral of refugees to host countries, hopes to find new homes for 30,000 Syrians. That 30,000 would be in formal, permanent resettlement, such as to the United States. Additional people would be relocated temporarily outside the Middle East, he said. Germany, for example has offered to take in thousands of Syrians temporarily.

“Of 2 million, that’s not a huge number,” Aleinikoff admitted. “But it’s part of the way for other countries to share the hosting burden.”

Anastasia Brown, the director of resettlement services for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services, told CNS the UNHCR met in October with representatives of agencies that resettle refugees to begin planning for processing Syrians.

Where in the US will the Catholics resettle Syrians?

More than a year ago, MRS began assessing where it might place Syrian refugees in the U.S., she said. MRS typically handles about 26 percent of all refugees brought to the United States, she added.

The U.S. typically does not commit to a firm number of refugees it will accept from a given situation, Brown explained. In October, President Barack Obama signed off on a commitment to accept 70,000 refugees worldwide in the 2014 fiscal year. That’s just about the number of refugees who were settled in the country in 2013, which had the same 70,000 cap.

Catholics: we want more than 70,000 this year!

Brown said because of the long vetting process for refugees to be admitted, there are already plenty of people “in the pipeline” to meet that number, without accounting for more than a few Syrians. She said MRS and other advocacy agencies are encouraging the U.S. to admit Syrians without regard for the 70,000 limit because of the extraordinary situation.

Fly in their ointment: security screening!

Brown said she’s also concerned about how the U.S. will apply its policy of not accepting immigrants and refugees who are found to have given “material support” to individuals involved in a very broad definition of terrorism. That might exclude someone who gave her son a coat, Brown said, if that son was found to have been part of a revolutionary organization.

Do you feel more confident to learn that the UN does the initial screening? Gee, don’t you wonder how those Kentucky Iraqi terrorists got through the “vetting process?”

Syrians to be given refugee status will first be referred by the UNHCR to a host country, which then will apply its own vetting process. In the United States, that means background security checks, a personal interview and other steps, Brown said. The process from UNHCR referral to a refugee arriving in the United States generally is no faster than nine months, she said.

In case you are wondering, I should note here that the USCCB is NOT going to tell Obama they only want the Christian Syrians brought to the US—-Muslims of all varieties are as welcome to them as are the suffering Christians.

Photo is from this 2012 story about Brown going to Australia (a trip you most likely contributed to because the majority of the USCCB’s budget is paid by the US taxpayer).