Here is what the ‘Refugee Act of 1980’ says the Prez and Congress must do right now…

09/02/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

It is the beginning of September and the new fiscal year begins on October 1. That would be FY18.

The President will submit his ‘determination’ letter and report to Congress about how many refugees COULD BE admitted for FY18 and designates where in the world they would come from.

The Refugee Act of 1980 is here. Note that in the first three years after passage the number was limited to 50,000 unless the President determined there was an emergency requiring a higher number.

As far as I can tell, other than the first 3 years, the law is silent on numbers less than 50,000. That means to me that the President could come in anywhere under that and be within the law!

I’ve been arguing that, in light of the Supreme Court having tied the law in knots, the program should be suspended right now until there is clarity from the Supremes, and I think the President could easily make the argument for suspension.

(Add the enormous number of hurricane Harvey refugees to the discussion!)

But, if Trump is going ahead with a ‘determination’ now, he must be pretty close to completing the plan because the law requires Congressional hearings after ‘consultation’ and two weeks in advance of making a ‘final determination’. As far as I know (or at least for the last 10 years) the law has not been followed and the President sends a ‘determination’ to the Hill literally with only days to spare before October 1.

See my report in 2015 when I learned that TWO DECADES ago, a House report cited former Democrat Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman (who was involved with the drafting of the original act) about the ‘determination’ process and how she argued that Congress must have a role. You and I might not want the wimps in Congress involved, but frankly that is what the law says!

Here are some screenshots of the pertinent sections of law describing the process. In order to meet the time requirements presumably the Administration and Congress are well underway:

CONSULTATION with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees is required!

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‘Consultation’ with Congress is supposed to happen prior to the President sending a final ‘determination’! The substance of the ‘consultation’ is supposed to be (shall be!) PUBLISHED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.

Jeff Sessions serious — In 2015, then Senator Jeff Sessions held the first hearing I had seen in nearly 10 years on the Refugee Act of 1980 and how it was being administered.

Have the Cabinet-level representatives of the Prez been up to the Hill?

If so, where is the report in the Congressional Record?

But, most importantly, reread the section above. Before the President makes his final ‘determination’ a hearing “shall be held” in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees!

Where is the hearing? Has it been scheduled?

Up until 2 years ago, Congress did not hold hearings on the Act at all (too lazy, or too chicken?). Senator Jeff Sessions held an oversight hearing here on October 2nd (one could not count it as a required hearing for ‘consultation’ since the fiscal year had already begun.)

Consultation defined….

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As I read this, the report to Congress must have already gone to the Hill in advance of the in person ‘consultation’. Has it? (Here is last year’s report if you haven’t seen one.)

Timeline (as I read it) described in original Refugee Act (possibly law was changed over the years? Some Hill lawyer can correct me if it has!):

~Report to Congress (like this one) two weeks in advance of ‘consultation’ with House/Senate.

~In person discussion (‘consultation’) between House/Senate Judiciary Committees and Cabinet-level reps of the President.

~Results of ‘consultation’ reported in Congressional Record.

~Hearings to be held in the House and Senate “to review the proposed determination.”

~Final ‘determination’ made by President.

So, it is September 2nd, they all better get cracking if they expect to follow the law (for a change) and begin ‘welcoming’ a new batch of third worlders on October 1 (a mere 29 days from today).

By the way, I think the State Department has a report done (or nearly so) or else we wouldn’t have learned that Charleston, WV was not going to get its new resettlement office.

This post is filed in my ‘where to find information’ category, click here.

Trump must suspend refugee program for FY18

08/26/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

If you are getting tired of hearing me on this subject, be prepared for more weariness because I plan to talk about it until that date in about mid-September when the President sends his State Department-crafted fiscal year “determination” to the Hill for “consultation” with Congress.

This year is a bit different, however, because the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program is under review at the Supreme Court and they surely won’t be reviewing and deciding by the first of October when the new batch of refugees would begin to arrive. The Court’s first day is October 2.

Trump would have every legal right to simply suspend or hold off sending any “determination” in advance of the Court ruling.

Indeed he could send a determination of zero (or some tiny number for extreme cases).

Trump grin and Tillerson — The test for Donald J. Trump is only a few weeks away. The President has enormous power to decide if refugees will come to America or not in FY18. If he has the will, he can force Congress to trash or reform the entire program.

We know that at this minute, the US State Department is preparing its report (here is last year’s report) that accompanies the “determination” of how many refugees America will ‘welcome’ in the form of a CEILING (not a goal, just a number that can’t be exceeded, excepting they have exceeded it this year).

That “determination” is made in conjunction with the refugee contractors*** which have gathered their “abstracts” from towns and cities, large and small, across America. The “abstract” is a secret document where the subcontractor tells Washington how many refugees they can handle (and how many “services” your town can provide).

By the way, in years past, the US State Department took public testimony in preparation for writing the “determination.” Although it was an insincere effort, there wasn’t even any effort in Trump’s Dept. of State to find out what citizens’ think.

Readers ask me all the time: Tell me what I can do!

You must #1: Tell President Donald Trump to suspend the FY18 Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

#2: Tell every one of your elected Washington Representatives (Congressman and two Senators) to not fund any Refugee Admissions Program for FY18.

#3: This is new! If you belong to any national Immigration restriction group—like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and/or NumbersUSA—tell them to urge the suspension of the USRAP until the Supreme Court hears and rules on the case, but most importantly until the program is completely overhauled by Congress.

Trump and Gorka — Trump all smiles with Gorka!

Endnote: It is looking pretty bleak for us in the White House these days with anyone who understands the threat being pushed out or fired (Gorka just yesterday, see here), so for me, what Trump does in September about the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program is THE barometer I’ll be using to judge this Presidency.

Trump made promises during the campaign and I and many others believed him.

Reining-in immigration (and getting us out of Middle Eastern wars!) were of paramount concern to me—the deal breakers!

*** For new readers, these are the Federal contractors/middlemen/employment agencies/propagandists/lobbyists/community organizers? paid by you to place refugees in your towns and cities listed below. Under the nine major contractors are hundreds of subcontractors.

The contractors income is largely dependent on taxpayer dollars based on the number of refugees admitted to the US, but they also receive myriad grants to service their “New Americans.”

If you are a good-hearted soul and think refugee resettlement is all about humanitarianism, think again! Big businesses/global corporations depend on the free flow of cheap (some call it slave) labor. It is for this reason that Republican leaders of Congress are supportive of an uninterrupted flow of refugees into America.

The only way for real reform of how the US admits refugees is to remove these contractors/Leftwing activists/big business head hunters from the process.

Good luck getting data on refugee welfare usage when Congress can’t get it!

08/15/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

There have been many efforts in recent years to press local and state governments to cough up data on the cost of refugees placed in communities—most recently in North Dakota and Minnesota.

This Congressional Research Memo to Congress from 2015 gives you a glimpse in to why they aren’t able to do it (assuming they were willing!).

Refugees are not identified (separately from other immigrants) at the local level when they go to the local social service agency to get their “benefits.” Indeed, immigrants may not even be designated as such on welfare applications.

Of course, this could easily be remedied by writing a few laws that direct local welfare agencies/school systems getting federal funds to require immigration status at the time one signs up for benefits or enrollment. Is the recipient a ‘refugee’ or one of many other categories of legal immigrant (or illegal!)?

In 2015, unknown Senators attempted to get some answers and this is what they got. (Hat tip: Joanne)

So, has the recipient of the report done anything about it?

From Congressional Research Service:

So the Senate requester is directed to this table (below) from the 2013 ORR Annual Report to Congress. You might wish to see some of those yourself by clicking here.

You will find, as I have (see here in 2014), that data like this below is completely extrapolated from self-reporting by refugees who are called on the phone (who can be found and who answer the phone!) and are WILLING to tell a stranger (a contract worker) what ‘benefits’ they are getting.

You can then imagine how useless this data really is!

As much as I want to encourage efforts to get the true costs for refugees to the American taxpayer, it won’t be possible until local and state agencies are forced to get the information on immigration status of someone coming in for benefits. And, if it is required to divulge one’s legal status (refugees are legal of course), then, in the process, the local agency will necessarily have to admit the illegal status of some beneficiaries of your taxpayer-funded kindness. They do not want to do that!

And, one more thing! If you think you can get a true study where you live, you must make sure that included in the cost side of the ledger are costs to the criminal justice system (how much is a life sentence in prison costing some states?), interpreter costs, emergency room costs, monitoring and medicines for those with TB, and the cost to the US economy of remittances (money sent out of the US economy to the refugee’s home country). Other costs I’m not thinking of?

Refugee contractors launch August recess campaign; minimum 75,000 refugees for FY18

08/07/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

From the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society website: https://www.hias.org/support-presidential-determination-least-75000-refugees

In mid-September the Trump Administration will be sending its ‘Presidential determination’ to the Hill.

The determination will set the CEILING for the number of refugees the President would like to see admitted to the US and sets priorities for what regions of the world will be the source of those refugees.

It also tells Congress how much money the Administration needs to get that job done.

Obama’s average admissions for 8 years was 69,683. Do they really think that Donald Trump will ask for 75,000?

For the umpteenth time, the number is a ceiling that is rarely reached.

The contractors*** are telling their followers that the magic number for FY18 is 75,000. They must be taking a new tack because at this time last year they were asking Obama for 200,000. I suspect they know the situation is bad for their budgets and they need more than 50,000 (paying refugee clients) to stay afloat.

By the way, Trump reset the ceiling for FY17 to 50,000.

And, as of this morning (according to Wrapsnet) Trump is at 50,672. This is the first time in the history of the program that the ceiling has been surpassed.

For the eight years of the Obama Administration the average number of admissions was 69,683 (see here). The average would have been much lower if it weren’t for his last year, an outlier, of nearly 85,000.

So, if Trump goes to 75,000 for FY18, which begins October 1, he will be proposing to bring in more refugees than Obama’s average.

Ginning up their base!

Just one portion of the “members” page at the RCUSA. http://www.rcusa.org/members/

In an August recess toolkit prepared by the Refugee Council USA (the lobbying arm of the refugee industry), here is what they are telling their activists (and using your tax dollars for their community organizing!):

Trump’s attacks on refugees, immigrants, and their families are morally detestable, discriminatory, and violate our sacred honor to protect the most vulnerable among us. Right now, we need Congress to urge the administration to resettle at least 75,000 refugees next year and protect DACA. Congress must also robustly fund refugee assistance overseas and the U.S. refugee resettlement program, at minimum at last year’s levels, and reduce funding for mass immigration detention, deportation, and border militarization.

One of the most active of the activist groups is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) which has instructions to its supporters on what to say to Washington Representatives and Senators.

Scratching your head about why Jews would import their enemy? Learn about “Stalinist Jews” where “ideology over reality” rules. Watch starting at minute 46 in this new documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmhfRi5j8aA

They know that the Republican Congress can be manipulated easily by public opinion on this issue because the establishment GOP fears being labeled racist AND many R’s are beholden to the Chamber of Commerce, big business and global corporations looking for more consumers and a ready supply of cheap labor.

***The Federal contractors/middlemen/employment agencies/propagandists/lobbyists/community organizers? paid by you to place refugees in your towns and cities are below. Under the nine major contractors are hundreds of subcontractors.

The contractors income is largely dependent on taxpayer dollars based on the number of refugees admitted to the US, but they also receive myriad grants to service their “New Americans.”

If you are a good-hearted soul and think refugee resettlement is all about humanitarianism, think again! Big businesses depend on the free flow of cheap (some call it slave) labor.

The only way for real reform of how the US admits refugees is to remove these contractors/Leftwing activists from the process.

Dear White House: it isn’t just about the numbers!

07/28/2017 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I’m sorry to keep repeating myself, but this whole refugee controversy has devolved in to a discussion about two issues—the number of refugees we admit and security screening.

What happened to the idea that communities would be informed about refugees arriving in their neighborhoods? What happened to any discussion about the enormous costs of resettling refugees with little education who will be dependent on welfare most likely for life even as they take jobs from low-skilled Americans? What happened to any discussion about massive cultural disruption in some locations? What happened to any discussion about the fact that health screening of refugees seems virtually non-existent with cases of TB and HIV Aids stressing local health departments?

In short, what happened to any discussion about dumping or reforming the whole UN/US Refugee Admissions Program? Or, getting rid of the contractor middlemen*?**

Are we simply going to battle over numbers?

Sure sounds like it!

I’m told I should be heartened by the news that someone in the White House (Stephen Miller) will be the point man on refugees, but really, can we expect Anthony Scaramucci to peg him as a f****** racist tomorrow? (If Scaramucci is crazy enough to say something about Miller like that, Trump can forget about his base!).

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) is taking the lead on a decision about how many refugees to admit to the United States next year, two current and three former officials said, a move that may empower those who wish to reduce immigration. [Who are Reuters sources—the leakers in Tillerson’s State Department and its hangers-on?—ed]

Rebecca Heller, Yale law 2010, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project tells Reuters that we have to help Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon by permanently resettling refugees in your towns. She says it will make us safer. Go figure!

The council, which reports to U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for policy Stephen Miller, an architect of Trump’s initial travel ban, is adopting a role traditionally handled by National Security Council and State Department officials.

The shift may strengthen the hand of officials who, like Trump himself, wish to cut the number of refugees resettled in the United States, against foreign policy experts who view the issue through an international humanitarian lens and say taking them in is vital to getting others to keep their borders open.

The bureaucratic maneuver appears to be part of a wider Washington fight over steps that the Trump administration has taken to limit immigration to the United States.

Continue reading, there is lots more.

Again, if we see simply a slight reduction in the number of refugees to be admitted in FY18 (Trump will announce in September), and no effort to tell Congress to reform the monstrosity—Ted Kennedy’s Refugee Act of 1980—Trump will have (hugely) let us down.

***Federal contractors/middlemen/propagandists/lobbyists/community organizers paid by you to place refugees in your towns and cities. Under the nine major contractors are hundreds of subcontractors. Every week representatives of the nine meet with DOS officials and literally divvy up the refugee dossiers deciding where in 49 states (WY takes zero!) they will be (without your knowledge) placed.

The contractors income is largely dependent on taxpayer dollars based on the number of refugees admitted to the US. Those Aussie rejects (I told you about here yesterday) come with a dollar value to the contractor and they have no obligation to tell community leaders/police who they are placing in US towns and cities.

The only way for real reform of how the US admits refugees is to remove the contractors/propagandists/community organizers from the process.