100 cities vying for immigrants (legal and illegal) expecting them to boost local economy
Posted by Ann Corcoran on November 3, 2015
No, they won’t boost the economy. The whole idea is a myth! The only boost I can see is that the local economy might benefit from the welfare dollars and other federal government supported programs to build low income housing (boodle for local developers!) and to give immigrants special loans to start businesses (that aren’t offered to low-income Americans)—dollars that arrive in the struggling cities from Washington. Oh, and of course (almost forgot) bring in cheap labor to satisfy big business and the Chambers of Commerce.
Wealth redistribution?
Washington doesn’t grow money on trees—it is just your money being recycled for the benefit of the expanding immigrant population and the Left-leaning local governments.
This article reminded me of Nancy Pelosi. Do you remember when she famously said an expanding food stamp program helped the economy? She is essentially saying that the government needs to take your tax dollars and redistribute them to immigrants and then your money enters the economy of these struggling cities.
Leo Hohmann at World Net Daily features Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as his opening ‘star’ of the story. We told you about Rawlings-Blake here on Sunday.
Hohmann found this list of 100 cities vying for your money (collected by the IRS in Washington and doled out to myriad local welfare programs and through grants to state and local governments and to non-profits).
Please look at this list! Is your city on it?
Hohmann goes on to report on the 18 mayors looking for a large allotment of Syrian refugees.
….a coalition of 100 immigrant-supporting cities seem to be in competition with each other to see which city can offer the most services and benefits to attract foreign-born residents.
They help them find jobs, overcome language barriers and work around employers’ demands for birth certificates or drivers’ licenses. There are also grants to help them get set up in a business venture.
So it’s no surprise that Rawlings-Blake is one of the 100 U.S. mayors asking the Obama administration to send her city a fresh wave of Syrian refugees. She is one of 18 mayors who have written a letter to the administration expressing their desire for more refugees. The 18 mayors who signed the letter represent a total of 100 mayors with Cities United for Immigration Action.
Continue reading (almost 1,000 comments in less than 24 hours). Hohmann reports some very good research by the Center for Immigration Studies on welfare use by immigrants, and he quotes me saying that this whole notion of boosting a local economy makes no logical sense if you include all the COSTS associated with the resettlement of third worlders and if you take out the federal taxpayers’ contribution.
York County, SC resolution fails, but public gets educated!
Posted by Ann Corcoran on November 3, 2015
Efforts to head off possible resettlement of refugees in York County, SC was slowed when a resolution put forth by one member of the council failed (although it was never put to a vote), but remember that we are up against powerful forces in some states.
In South Carolina the Republican Governor has already signaled her support of more refugees being resettled in a state which heretofore hasn’t been overloaded (unlike most states surrounding SC). And, the powerful Senior Senator of the State—
Lindsey Graham—is openly advocating for the resettlement of Syrian refugees to America. I suspect that when Graham says “jump” the R’s (who desire upward political mobility) in the state do what he says.
So…. this effort is not wasted because it has obviously generated a discussion (and a controversy) that other local citizens are now learning about.
Here are a couple of short snips from
The Herald:
Joe Newton came from Georgia (a state that is seriously strained by the refugee flow) to tell the South Carolinians what they can expect. His website is here: http://www.refugeeresettlementrelief.com/default.html
….the ordinance worries refugees will receive federal assistance to resettle in the U.S., that they might not work or learn English, become burdens on the taxpayer and “build enclaves, preserving the language and culture of their countries of origin rather than fully integrate into the surrounding community.”
The motion drew support from speakers at Monday night’s meeting. Joe Newton of Norcross, Ga., spoke before the council wearing a “Stop Refugee Resettlement” T-shirt. He told the council that schools in the Atlanta area have been “overwhelmed” by previously settled refugees who speak 150 languages.
New refugees would “increase that to 200 languages, plus 18 dialects spoken by the Syrians,” Newton said.
Governor Haley could stand up for the Tenth Amendment and against federal dumping of the costs of this program on the states if she had any backbone.
She might not succeed (yet), but the state’s rights issue is one she, as a Republican, should be championing. This is a very reasonable proposal.
If it had been approved, the resolution would call for Gov. Nikki Haley to stop resettlement until its effects are studied separately by the State Law Enforcement Division and several state departments: Social Services, Labor, Education, and Health and Environmental Control. Resettlement should not resume until every refugee is cleared by the Department of Homeland Security, and “Each South Carolina State Senator holds several Town Hall meetings in his or her district … to determine that there is not substantial public opposition.”
More here.
Go here and see the locations of resettlement contractors in the US. If you are within 100 miles of any of them, your town is fair game.
I suggest going on the offense and alerting your local elected government that this expensive and potentially risky resettlement of third worlders might be coming your way.
See our growing archive on South Carolina by
clicking here. This post is filed in our
‘Pockets of Resistance’ category,
here.
Asylum scammers: fake passport business booming
Posted by Ann Corcoran on November 2, 2015
That’s what the
Wall Street Journal is reporting, thanks to Jeff for sending the story.
The ‘stars’ of the WSJ piece landed in the UK, but I wonder how many are landing at an airport near you as we speak?
ISTANBUL—Somewhere over Europe, Kassem went to the airplane’s bathroom and flushed his fake Italian passport down the toilet.
When he landed in London’s Heathrow Airport a few hours later, Kassem presented his Syrian ID to U.K. immigration officials and requested asylum. The trip wouldn’t have been possible using his actual, Syrian passport—the country’s four-year civil war has turned it into a burden for anyone fleeing the conflict.
When asked where his passport was, Kassem told the officials: “It’s in the toilet.”
While hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees make the dangerous sea voyage to Europe followed by arduous treks across the continent, some of their countrymen have used fraudulent Western passports to board planes to countries where they can request asylum. Winter’s approach, turning seas colder, stormier and more dangerous, is expected to increase the practice.
Continue reading here.
This chart shows how many successful asylum cases were processed in 2013 in the US. Source:
Migration Policy Institute. (I would love to know what countries are represented in that 7,776 (30%) from “other countries,” wouldn’t you?)
For new readers the difference between refugees and asylum seekers is that we fly the refugees in after the UN selects them for us and asylum seekers get in on their own steam—either illegally across a border or come legally on another type of visa—then ask for asylum, claiming they will be persecuted if returned to their homeland. Once granted asylum however, the asylum seekers get all of the same welfare goodies that refugees receive.
Are refugees taking from federal programs for American poor and homeless, sure looks like it
Posted by Ann Corcoran on November 2, 2015
This is short and sweet (well, maybe not so sweet). Reader Brenda is trying to figure out what is going on in her state and came across
this document from the Department of Health and Human Services that sure looks like the welfare needs of refugees are being met by dipping into resources meant for Americans in poverty.
Click here, and then see if you can find out if this is going on where you live.
When the
Refugee Act of 1980 was passed by Congress, a promise was made that the refugees would not simply bring more poverty to America, but that is exactly what is happening. Refugees should not be part of our combating poverty programs!
I wanted to see where the most homeless US military veterans are located and found this map. Fascinating! Most of the largest refugee resettlement states correlate with the states that have the greatest number of homeless veterans—NY, FL, TX and CA.
See map!
Americans first!
Sacramento to welcome large number of Syrians says resettlement contractor
Posted by Ann Corcoran on November 2, 2015
There is nothing unexpected in this news article about the new CEO of ‘Opening Doors’ another resettlement agency contracted through
Church World Service (one of
nine major resettlement contractors working for the UN/US State Department), but I bring it to you because it makes some points we have been making lately.
Deborah Ortiz to be the new CEO of Opening Doors. Photo: http://sacramentopress.com/2011/03/2...ez-resolution/
Yes! They are contractors!
I had to laugh when I saw this line
on their website. South Carolina readers will recall that when Asst. Sec. of State for PRM, Anne Richard, came to Spartanburg she said that they were not “CONTRACTORS,” but had signed “agreements.” Someone needs to tell ‘Opening Doors:’
Refugees come to us through our affiliate, Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program that is under contract to the United States Department of State.
First and foremost I was interested in the fact that
Opening Doors (largely funded with taxpayer dollars)*** doesn’t just resettle refugees, but works with and for illegal aliens as well. That is a point I have been making lately. Many who want to see illegal immigration brought under control say “legal immigration is good,” but these groups we fund—like Opening Doors—are perfectly fine with promoting the rights of illegal migrants right along with their resettlement work that is paid for by you!
Here is the story from the
Sacramento Bee:
Deborah Ortiz, a veteran public servant who spent years trying to help immigrants and refugees in Sacramento and the state, will soon be aiding hundreds of new Sacramentans fleeing violence or persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and more than half a dozen other nations.
On Jan. 1, the former city council member, assemblywoman and state senator will take over as CEO of Opening Doors, a nonprofit agency that helps refugees, immigrants and human-trafficking survivors achieve self-sufficiency through job training, small-business loans and access to legal and social services. Last year, the agency served more than 650 immigrants and refugees and helped resettle 423. It also assisted 94 human-trafficking survivors.
[….]
Since 2011, when the Syrian conflict started, 1,500 Syrians have been resettled nationwide.
Sacramento ranks third in the nation among cities receiving them. Since April, Opening Doors, one of several resettlement agencies here, has resettled 25. [97% of those arriving in FY2015 are Muslims, does Church World Service not advocate for persecuted Christians? Guess not!—ed]
Is Opening Doors keeping a huge chunk of the refugees cash?
Then this (below) gave me pause. Refugees are given cash by the federal government in the amount of
$1,975 per person and the contractor usually pockets around $800 of it (per refugee) for their overhead (they are paid by the head for their work, thus they have every incentive to never slow the flow).
Does this mean that Opening Doors is pocketing an even bigger chunk?
Note again, that the contractor’s job is to sign the refugees up for their welfare goodies. You can be sure that no matter how hard they wish it, the refugees are NOT “independent” in three months as they claim.
Refugees receive $925 in federal funding for the first 30 days. It helps pay for setting up their households, food, housing and nominal expenses. Their refugee status many help them qualify for other income-based public assistance programs including cash assistance, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh (food stamps) for up to eight months for adults without dependent children. Families with children are eligible to receive benefits for four years.
Opening Doors supports them for three months from the date of arrival in Sacramento. The agency enrolls refugees in ESL classes, human services and employment services to help them to become independent at the end of the three months.
Maybe it’s the reporter’s fault, but someone needs to see if this contractor is keeping a big chunk of the refugees’ cash.
***
Here is Opening Doors’ most recently available Form 990. They are a $1.3 million a year business with just about $1 million coming from your wallets.
Endnote: An Iraqi refugee wrote
this criticism of Opening Doors in 2010.
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