Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., yesterday warned that the omnibus appropriations bill would quadruple a foreign worker program replacing Americans, expand the refugee program amid serious national security threats, and ignore the existence of dangerous Sanctuary Cities.
Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), and Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) have introduced legislation that would halt the refugee resettlement program until its impacts on the country can be further examined. H.R.4218 would not only examine the budgetary impacts of refugee resettlement, but also require the Department of Homeland Security to produce a report identifying past refugees who have committed criminal acts in the United States.
In an effort to deal with the refugee crisis Norway has started offering to pay refugees to go back to their home country. Refugee seekers are being offered thousands of dollars plus free flights back home if they voluntary leave the country.
Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), said he has been told by intelligence officials that ISIS has already targeted the refugee program as a way to enter the U.S. This news comes as Congress is set to vote this week on the omnibus spending bill, which could include funding to increase the number of refugees brought into the U.S.
Refuting claims suggesting that no refugees had been linked to terrorism, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., released a list of 12 refugees who had links to terror plans in 2015, according to Breitbart News. These claims went viral in the main stream media just as President Obama came under increasing fire for his plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. this fiscal year.
The House passed H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, which would stop Syrian and Iraqi refugees from entering the country unless certified by the heads of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence. Republicans unanimously voted for the bill and were joined by 47 Democrats, giving them a veto-proof majority of 289 "yes" votes.
The terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France last week have prompted many lawmakers and presidential candidates to call for a halt to the Obama administration's plan to resettle an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. next year.
A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) shows that the U.S. can help twelve Syrians in the Middle East for the same cost as relocating one Syrian refugee in the United States.
FBI director, James Comey, repeated his claim that the U.S. does not have the ability to thoroughly screen Syrian refugees for terrorist ties. The Obama administration has said they want to increase the refugee cap from 70,000 to 85,000 next year with at least 10,000 coming from Syria.
FBI Director James Comey voiced his concern during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing about the lack of information available to screen Syrian refugees coming into the United States.
Pope Francis I will be in the United States September 22-27 and will address a joint meeting of Congress on the 24th -- an historical first. All indications are that immigration issues will be at the forefront during his visit.
British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday called for increasing aid to Middle Eastern countries that are hosting Syrian refugees. He urged the support of refugees in countries close to Syria "so they don't make that perilous journey across the seas [to Europe] which has led to such appalling losses of life."
Obama plans to bring 10,000 additional Syrian Refugees to the U.S. this year, yet the FBI has already said they do not have a way to properly vet the refugees, which could cause a threat to national security.
According to Robert Rector, a Heritage Foundation scholar, the president's plan to take in an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees would cost U.S. taxpayers $130 million per year. Over the next 50 years the costs for these additional refugees would add up to $6.5 billion for American taxpayers.
In a recent interview with an Australian news outlet Tim Costello, CEO of the humanitarian organization World Vision, said the best way to handle the European refugee crisis is to secure the refugees in place so they can eventually return to their own countries. He dismissed resettlement as a primary goal because the refugees “want to go back home, not come [to Austrialia], not go to Europe.”
White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, announced on Thursday that Pres. Obama wants the U.S. to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year. This is six times more than was admitted into the U.S. this year. The increase comes after the European Union and members of both parties encouraged the Obama administration to do more to aid in the humanitarian crisis.
After a consultation with Secretary of State John Kerry concerning refugee plans for fiscal year 2016, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, warned the Obama Administration may seek to bring in tens of thousands of additional refugees beyond its initial proposal of 5,000. He also demanded that Obama prove to the American people that it will protect national security interests before accepting Syrian refugees who could be tied to terrorist groups like ISIS.
Massive suffering is occurring before our eyes through media accounts of the exodus of Middle Eastern citizens from their dysfunctional and violent countries, particularly as they struggle to get to -- and across -- Europe.
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) introduced a bill yesterday that would suspend the refugee resettlement program in the United States until the economic effects and national security concerns can be satisfied. The Resettlement Accountability National Security Act (H.R. 3314) would put an immediate suspension on allowing immigrants into the United States under the refugee resettlement program, until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) completes a thorough examination of its costs on federal, state and local governments.
Earlier this week, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to Pres. Obama calling for the end of the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee/Parole Program. The program, which has been accepting applications since December 1, 2014, flies individuals from Central American countries to the U.S. for the purposes of providing an "orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that some... are currently taking to the United States." The letter was signed by 37 other Members of Congress.
The House Judiciary Committee approved two bills this week that would increase interior enforcement of immigration laws in the United States. The bills approved include one that would mandate the use of E-Verify by all U.S. businesses within 3 years and another that would ensure that all unaccompanied alien children (UACs) are returned safely to their home countries.
CNSNews reports that the U.S. government did not grant refugee status to any people from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador or Mexico in fiscal year 2013. Democrats in Congress have tried to portray the surge aliens as refugees escaping violence in these countries as opposed to people who were encouraged to enter by recent Obama Administration policies.
Alabama
President Barack Obama today said the spike children illegally crossing the Mexican border is an "urgent humanitarian situation," and asked the Senate Appropriations Committee for an extra $1.4 billion to deal with it. Obama issued a presidential memorandum that describes his Administration’s response, which will be led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Obama administration has issued new exemptions to federal immigration law for asylum and refugee seekers that could allow individuals with ties to terrorists into the United States. The exemptions were published to the federal register on Wednesday and would narrow the ban on refugees and asylum seekers who had provided limited material support to terrorists.
Refugees vs. Economic Migrants
An economic migrant moves in order to improve his life; a refugee moves in order to save his life, specifically out of fear from State persecution.
Refugees make up a relatively small percentage of annual immigration to the U.S. (see Rosemary Jenks' chart). Most immigrants (including most illegal immigrants) are economic migrants; relatively poor by our standards, but not facing life or death situations.
No tragedy is too great not to be exploited by U.S. open borders advocates and those who insist on using immigration to force massive U.S. population growth. The media are filled with drumbeats to use the Haitian disaster as an excuse to greatly increase immigration even further past its already record-setting pace. Here are a handful of their most illogical arguments . . .
Sec. of State Hillary Clinton appears to be putting out the perfect signal to try to prevent thousands of Haitians from risking their lives in leaky boats to enter the U.S. illegally. . . .
We are getting conflicting stories out of the Department of Homeland Security that it may be preparing to entice hundreds of thousands of Haitians to try to illegally enter the U.S. and then grant them some kind of legal status and work permits. Here is what we are hearing . . .
I'm quoted in Sunday's New York Times as the sourpuss amidst what the headline says are "Liberians in New York ‘Jubilant’ at Expulsion Reprieve." Why would I say that Pres. Obama made a mistake in halting an order for the Liberians to go back home to a country of poverty and high unemployment? The Times quoted me fairly with a two-paragraph explanation, but I need more space to explain why doing something compassionate for these particular Liberians ends up being the opposite of compassionate overall. . . . .
A shocking new report about the potential scope of fraud within our refugee programs: State Department DNA testing found 80% of "family" being brought into the U.S. by refugees under one program are of no blood relation.
