Critics push U.S. to help Europe by taking more refugees

[kscarbel2]

Germany to accept hundreds of migrants to boost EU program [Why?]

Reuters  /  August 23, 2016

Germany has agreed to take in hundreds of [economic] migrants who are blocked in Italy in a move that might revive the European Union's failed relocation program, Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday.

As part of a deal to relieve pressure on Europe's frontline states in the migration crisis, the European Commission last year devised a plan aimed at moving thousands of new arrivals away from Italy and Greece towards other EU members.

Under the scheme, up to 40,000 migrants could be relocated from Italy over two years, but so far only a few hundred have been flown out with many EU allies apparently reluctant to welcome in asylum seekers and refugees.

"Up until now, the relocation has been a real flop," Alfano told la Repubblica TV.

"(But) today we have heard that from September hundreds of refugees will be able to go each month to Germany. If things go well with Germany, we think they will also go well with other countries," he added.

Italy has taken in more than 420,000 boat migrants since the start of 2014, official figures show.

Many of the newcomers move swiftly on, looking to reach wealthier northern European nations, but a crackdown on border crossings has slowed the flows, leading to overcrowding in Italy's transit camps and refugee centers.

"We must remember that Germany already took in more than one million migrants in 2015. If it also takes in some of our (refugees) ... the message will be extremely strong, because if Germany can do it, then so can all those who have not put in the huge effort that Germany already has," Alfano said.

Merkel has faced criticism in Germany for being too open to migrants, and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to perform well in local elections in two German regions next month.

Only Syrians, Eritreans and Iraqis qualify for the relocation program, meaning the bulk of migrants reaching Italy, many from West Africa, are not be eligible for relocation.

According to latest data, some 3,915 Eritreans, 787 Syrians and 686 Iraqis reached Italy in the first seven months of 2016.

[kscarbel2]

15 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Merkel tells Turks in Germany to ‘develop a high level of loyalty’

The Financial Times  /  August 23, 2016

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Germany’s Turkish population to “develop a high level of loyalty” to their new homeland, in the latest sign of political concern about divided allegiances in the Turkish community. 

Her remarks on Tuesday come amid fears that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pressing Turks living abroad to show greater loyalty to Ankara and its brand of Islamism as part of the wide-ranging crackdown following the failed military coup.

“We expect from people of Turkish origin, who have already lived in Germany a long time, that they develop a high level of loyalty to our country,” Ms Merkel said in an interview with a regional newspaper group. 

She also warned both supporters and opponents of the authoritarian Turkish president to avoid stirring political violence. “The freedom of thought and of holding demonstrations is valid in Germany for everybody who lives here, but of course all their differences of opinion must be argued out peacefully.” 

Ms Merkel’s unusually tough message is clearly designed to give her conservative CDU party a boost in two regional elections next month — in rural Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin — where the rightwing anti-migration, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany is gaining ground.

But it also reflects government fears about political radicalisation among the country’s 3 million ethnic Turks, who are split roughly 50-50 between German and Turkish citizens. The political controversy could complicate Ms Merkel’s efforts to keep in place the EU-Turkey refugee pact, which is under growing criticism in Germany for the concessions made to Mr Erdogan, including the soft-pedaling of criticism of his post-coup crackdown.

The Bundestag’s intelligence committee agreed this week to examine the possible role of Turkish intelligence in Germany following claims from an unnamed security expert that Ankara has a network of 6,000 informants spying on the Turkish community and is possibly applying pressure on Mr Erdogan’s critics. 

Last week, a leaked German government report described Ankara as a “central platform of action” for radical Islamist groups. Berlin has long co-operated with Ankara in the fight against Islamist terror groups and the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), the armed separatist group. But it is concerned that Mr Erdogan is widening his “terrorist” definition to include a range of political enemies, notably followers of Fethullah Gulen, a self-exiled US-based imam. 

Michael Müller, Berlin mayor, recently said that he had rejected a request from a “Turkish government representative” to take action against Gulenists. 

The Turkish president also has considerable influence over community organisations, including Ditib, an umbrella body for 900 Turkish mosques. Alongside it stands the UETD, an EU-wide political lobby group representing émigré Turkish interests, closely linked to Mr Erdogan’s ruling AKP party. 

Ditib rejects any claims that suggest it is an instrument of a foreign country. However, some German political leaders are questioning its influence, notably over Muslim education in schools, where in some regions it assists with appointing teachers.

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Most of these "economic migrants" (alleged refugees) have no loyalty whatsoever to Germany. They're there for all of the free welfare handouts and the higher pay jobs. For them, it's like working "out of town". They never really adapt to the German way of life, rather, they stick to themselves. The Germans are to blame for all their woes. They don't like the Turks and other migrants in their country, and yet they want them there to do all the menial jobs that Germans now largely refuse to do.

In related news...............

Florida schools issuing “Pledge of Allegiance” waivers

WCTV  /  August 23, 2016

“This is a response to a Florida law voted on by the Florida Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Scott,” said Chris Petley, the spokesman for Leon County Schools (www.leonschools.net) in Tallahassee, Florida.

Specifically, he is referring to Florida Statue 1003.44.

That law dictates “to all school districts in Florida that, ‘each student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge.”

“We are required to comply with the law,” he replied.

The Pledge of Allegiance waiver states:

“I understand my rights as a parent and I request that my child, noted above, be excused from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This request includes standing and placing his/her right hand over his/her heart.”

Tuesday, the school district issued a statement saying:

“Leon County Schools values patriotism, civic responsibility, and the pledge of allegiance. A change to Florida law this year requires all school districts to publish in the student code of conduct booklet the students’ right to not participate in reciting the pledge of allegiance. In complying with the change in law, our staff developed a form for parents to use to exercise that right.”

The opt-out has been available in Florida since 2000.

.

[kscarbel2]

On 8/23/2016 at 9:04 PM, kscarbel2 said:

Merkel tells Turks in Germany to ‘develop a high level of loyalty’

The Financial Times  /  August 23, 2016

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Germany’s Turkish population to “develop a high level of loyalty” to their new homeland, in the latest sign of political concern about divided allegiances in the Turkish community. 

Her remarks on Tuesday come amid fears that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pressing Turks living abroad to show greater loyalty to Ankara and its brand of Islamism as part of the wide-ranging crackdown following the failed military coup.

“We expect from people of Turkish origin, who have already lived in Germany a long time, that they develop a high level of loyalty to our country,” Ms Merkel said in an interview with a regional newspaper group. 

She also warned both supporters and opponents of the authoritarian Turkish president to avoid stirring political violence. “The freedom of thought and of holding demonstrations is valid in Germany for everybody who lives here, but of course all their differences of opinion must be argued out peacefully.” 

Ms Merkel’s unusually tough message is clearly designed to give her conservative CDU party a boost in two regional elections next month — in rural Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin — where the rightwing anti-migration, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany is gaining ground.

But it also reflects government fears about political radicalisation among the country’s 3 million ethnic Turks, who are split roughly 50-50 between German and Turkish citizens. The political controversy could complicate Ms Merkel’s efforts to keep in place the EU-Turkey refugee pact, which is under growing criticism in Germany for the concessions made to Mr Erdogan, including the soft-pedaling of criticism of his post-coup crackdown.

The Bundestag’s intelligence committee agreed this week to examine the possible role of Turkish intelligence in Germany following claims from an unnamed security expert that Ankara has a network of 6,000 informants spying on the Turkish community and is possibly applying pressure on Mr Erdogan’s critics. 

Last week, a leaked German government report described Ankara as a “central platform of action” for radical Islamist groups. Berlin has long co-operated with Ankara in the fight against Islamist terror groups and the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), the armed separatist group. But it is concerned that Mr Erdogan is widening his “terrorist” definition to include a range of political enemies, notably followers of Fethullah Gulen, a self-exiled US-based imam. 

Michael Müller, Berlin mayor, recently said that he had rejected a request from a “Turkish government representative” to take action against Gulenists. 

The Turkish president also has considerable influence over community organisations, including Ditib, an umbrella body for 900 Turkish mosques. Alongside it stands the UETD, an EU-wide political lobby group representing émigré Turkish interests, closely linked to Mr Erdogan’s ruling AKP party. 

Ditib rejects any claims that suggest it is an instrument of a foreign country. However, some German political leaders are questioning its influence, notably over Muslim education in schools, where in some regions it assists with appointing teachers.

You’ve got to wonder................

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Reuters  /  August 24, 2016

German politicians on Wednesday criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for saying that people with a Turkish background who live in Germany should show "loyalty to our country", calling her comment unnecessarily divisive at a particularly difficult time.

Adding to mounting strains on relations between Germany and Turkey, a major partner in regional attempts to stem mass migration, a leaked government report last Wednesday stated [correctly] that Turkey was a hub for Islamist groups.

German media have also reported that the Turkish government's MIT intelligence service had a network of 6,000 informants in Germany.

In an interview published on Tuesday, Merkel had told the Passauer Neuen Presse newspaper: "We expect those with a Turkish background who have lived in Germany for a long time to develop a high degree of loyalty to our country."

In exchange, she said, Germany was trying to be open to their concerns and to understand them.

German integration commissioner Aydan Ozugus [German-born to Turkish parents], a member of the Social Democrats that rule in coalition with Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, criticized Merkel’s comments.

She said a clear majority of those with a Turkish background "felt allegiance to our country" and should not be assumed to have conflicting loyalties.

Volker Beck, migration spokesman for the Green party, said: "Questioning the loyalty of your own citizens without any particular reason is a practice that we generally see only in authoritarian regimes."

He said people with a Turkish background needed to support German values such as human dignity and human rights, regardless of language, religion and ethnic origin, not declare "loyalty" to one country. [?????]

Tensions are already high in the 3-million strong Turkish community in Germany between supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and those of a U.S.-based cleric he blames for a thwarted coup on July 15.

Erdogan backers have demonstrated in several German cities since the attempted coup, shops have been boycotted by rival sides and hate mail has been sent to anti-Erdogan politicians.

[grayhair]

On 8/5/2016 at 9:04 AM, kscarbel2 said:

Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking with reporters during a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, said the United States has developed "sufficient methods" of screening would-be refugees.

"We are very comfortable that we are bringing people in who will be a great plus to our country." Kerry said.

John Kerry is a blithering idiot lackey which is exactly why he was chosen by Obama for a cabinet position.  Wonder how many of the next batch of refugees will be sent to Hawaii?   .  

Edited August 25, 2016 by grayhair

[41chevy]

On 8/25/2016 at 10:53 AM, grayhair said:

John Kerry is a blithering idiot lackey which is exactly why he was chosen by Obama for a cabinet position.  Wonder how many of the next batch of refugees will be sent to Hawaii?   .  

 Hillary said he is a true warrior and hero. (remember she has been under heavy fire in a war zone )  Got a medal for shooting up a few hooches, got a Purple Heart for egg shell fragments and tossed them into the Reflecting Pool, and called us in service tools of the Military Industrial Complex. Bigger piece of sh*t than Jane Fonda.

Hopefully, only Obama will be the only refugee.

Edited November 2, 2016 by 41chevy

[kscarbel2]

Get ready for it.

At the G20 meeting in Hangzhou on Sunday, EU President Donald Tusk said the international community to do more to step up resettlement of refugees. 

"The practical capabilities of Europe to host new waves of refugees, not to mention irregular economic migrants, are close to the limits," he said.

"In light of an unprecedented number of 65 million displaced people all over the world, the G20 community needs to scale up its share of responsibility," Tusk said.

 

"Only global efforts supporting refugees and their host communities will be able to bear fruit."

 

"That is why we want to encourage our partners to increase humanitarian and development aid, as well as refugee resettlement. We need to address the root causes that force millions of people to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere."

 

 

[kscarbel2]

Unwanted invading economic migrants attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa from neighboring Morocco. Nothing but trouble.

The European Union and Africa share only two land borders, Ceuta and Melilla, both of which are crucial crossing points for illegal African migrants entering Europe.

.

 

[kscarbel2]

White House to increase number of refugees to 110k in 2017

[Wealthy GCC countries of the Arab League take zero]

CNN  /  September 14, 2016

The White House is planning to increase the number of refugees accepted into the United States from around the world to at least 110,000 in 2017.

Secretary of State John Kerry briefed Congress on Tuesday about the administration's decision and has stated over the past year that the United States would seek to welcome 100,000 refugees in 2017 -- and if possible, would accept more.

The increase -- from 70,000 during 2013-2015 to 85,000 in 2016 to the plan of 110,000 in 2017 -- is more than a 57% increase in refugee arrivals since 2015 and consistent with the administration's belief that all countries should do more to help vulnerable people.

The United States' refugee policy has been a top campaign issue in the 2016 election. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made waves last December when he proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims immigrating to the United States.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, has said that she would like to see the number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States increase from the Obama administration's goal of 10,000 a year to 65,000 refugees.

[kscarbel2]

(Originally posted November 24, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=4#comment-312770)

The wealthy GCC countries of the Arab League don’t want to take in their Muslim brothers in need, considering them to be undesirables.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On September 2, 2015, Kuwaiti official Fahad al-Shalami explained why the Gulf Cooperation Council countries* refuse to accept refugees.

* Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

“Kuwait and the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries are too valuable to accept any refugees. Our countries are only fit for [migrant] workers. It's too costly to relocate them [the refugees] here. Kuwait is too expensive for them anyway, as opposed to Lebanon and Turkey, which are cheap. They are better suited for the Syrian refugees. In the end, it is not right for us to accept a people that are different from us. We don't want people that suffer from internal stress and trauma in our country.”

.

 

[kscarbel2]

(Originally posted November 27, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=4#comment-312770)

Too often, discussions of any one particular immigration program lack broader numerical context.

Refugee admissions, asylees, and parolees are all additional to our huge annual intake of 1 million green card holders, the 700,000 foreign workers and the 500,000 foreign students.

So before addressing the policy question of whether or not to admit additional groups of refugees, we should first consider our broader immigration situation.

Senator Jeff Sessions

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Senator Jeff Sessions Says 12 Asylum Seekers Planned Attacks

International Business Times / November 26, 2015

In an attempt to block President Obama's plan to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, Senator Jeff Sessions has given 12 examples where radicalized refugees that have slipped through the cracks.

The Alabama Republican released the list ahead of the December appropriations debate, during which Congress will decide how much federal money to give the president's refugee program.

Since the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Republicans have been raising concerns the U.S. could be the target of terror attacks from Syrian refugees admitted into the country as asylum-seekers.

On the list is a Bosnian refugee who traveled to Syria to join ISIS just eleven days after becoming a U.S. citizen, and six of his countrymen who supported terrorists financially from back in the States.

Senator Sessions' list includes refugees who have been arrested or indicted in the past year for aiding terrorist organizations, and include displaced people from Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kenya, and Bosnia.

The 12 refugees arrested, indicted or convicted in year 2015 for terror charges:

A warrant has been out for Liban Haji Mohamed's arrest since January, for providing material support to the terrorist groups Al-Shabab and Al-Qaeda. The 29-year-old is believed to have fled the country to join Al-Shabab in Eastern Africa three years ago, via the Mexican border after being put on a no-fly list. A former taxi-cab driver in Washington, DC, Mohamed first came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia.

Carl Ghattas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office, said it was important to locate Mohamed 'because he has knowledge of the Washington, D.C. area’s infrastructure such as shopping areas, Metro, airports, and government buildings . . . [t]his makes him an asset to his terrorist associates who might plot attacks on U.S. soil.'

Abdinassir Mohamud Ibrahim moved to the United States as a refugee from Somalia in 2007 at the age of 22. In February, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing material support to Al-Shabab. He also admitted to lying on his refugee application, saying he was a member of the minority Awer clan in Somalia that was being persecuted by the majority Hawiye clan. In fact, Ibrahim was part of the Hawiye clan and related 'to known Somali terrorists'.

Abdullah Ramo Pazara came to the U.S. as a Bosnian refugee and left to fight with ISIS in Syria just eleven days after officially becoming an American citizen in 2013. Pazara has not been charged with supporting a foreign terrorist organization because he is believed to be dead, however, six of his fellow Bosnian natives (follows) were arrested for supporting terrorism in the Middle East. According to reports, at the time of his death, Pazara had climbed the ISIS ranks to become a deputy to one of the organization's top commanders.

Bosnian war hero Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, who came to the U.S. as a refugee, was charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, with providing material support to terrorists, and conspiring to kill and maim persons in a foreign country.

According to the indictment, Hodzic purchased military equipment to give Pazara (number two on this list) to use when he joined ISIS including 'United States military uniforms, tactical combat boots, military surplus goods, tactical gear and clothing, firearms accessories, optical equipment and range finders, rifle scopes, equipment, and supplies'.

Ramiz Zijad Hodzic's wife, Sedina Unkic Hodzic was also charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. Sedina, according to the indictment, raised funds for ISIS and wired the money abroad. She is also said to have shipped six boxes of U.S. military uniforms, combat boots, tactical clothing and gear, military surplus items, firearms accessories, rifle scopes, optical equipment, first aid supplies, and other equipment to foreign terrorists.

Fellow Bosnian Armin Harcevic was charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and with providing material support to terrorists. He allegedly collected money from third parties to sent to terrorists abroad.

Like the other Bosnians, Nihad Rosic was charged in February with providing material support to foreign terrorists. But he is also believed to have been planning to leave the country in order to join jihadist in Syria as well. Before his arrest, Rosic was a truck driver and former mixed martial arts fighter, who had a criminal history including a charge for punching a woman in the face while she held a child and beating his girlfriend with a belt.

Bosnian-born Mediha Medy Salkicevic worked at a cargo company operating out of Chicago's O'Hare airport before her arrest in February for providing material support to terrorists. She allegedly raised funds and then wired it to terrorists, along with her own money.

Bosnian Jasminka Ramic faces charges of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists.

Abdurahman Yasin Daud was born in a refugee camp in Kenya, to a Somalian family, and eventually came to the U.S. at the age of nine, going on to become a permanent resident. He was arrested along with six others for attempting to flea the country to Syria to join ISIS, according to an criminal complaint filed in April.

Guled Ali Omar was also born in a Kenyan refugee camp to Somalian parents and immigrated to the United States as a child. His older brother Ahmed Ali Omar, left the United States in 2007 to fight with Al-Shabab and another one of his brothers, Mohamed Ali Omar, was convicted in March for threatening federal agents. Omar himself was arrested in April for conspiracy and attempt to provide material support to ISIS. U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Andy Luger, said that Omar previously tried to leave the U.S. and 'never stopped plotting'.

Fazliddin Kurbanov came to the U.S. with his family as a refugee from Uzbekistan in 2009. Kurbanov was reportedly born a Muslim, but his family later converted to Orthodox Christianity. When he came to the U.S., it's believed he converted back to Islam and radicalized.

In August, he was found guilty on charges of conspiracy and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and possessing an unregistered destructive device. U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Carlin Kurbanov 'conspired to provide material support to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and procured bomb-making materials in the interest of perpetrating a terrorist attack on American soil.'

.

 

[kscarbel2]

(Originally posted November 15, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=3#comment-312621)

The U.S. media is now shining a big spotlight on the Syrian refugee debate.

Supposedly, U.S.-bound Syrians are actual refugees, and not economic migrants the likes of what’s showing up on Europe’s door from countries other than Syria (4 out of 5 are not from Syria).

Much of the debate is over why the U.S. should take refugees when Middle East countries for the most part are not.

Arab League (and Gulf Cooperation Council) members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE have reportedly not taken in any refugees.

These six Gulf States elected NOT to sign the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_relating_to_the_Status_of_Refugees).

Per Amnesty International, the six Gulf countries - Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - have offered zero resettlement facilities for Syrian refugees.

The fact is that Gulf countries don't accept refugees for resettlement because none of their governments officially recognize the legal concept. Even in Jordan, Syrians fleeing the civil war are called "guests," the expectation being that they won't stay. (http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/09/20/441457924/gulf-states-fend-off-criticism-about-doing-little-for-syrian-refugees)

“I’m most indignant over the Arab countries who are rolling in money and who only take very few refugees,” Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said in an interview this week at his office in Copenhagen. “Countries like Saudi Arabia. It’s completely scandalous. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-04/syria-s-refugees-feel-more-welcome-in-europe-than-in-the-gulf)

However, Saudi Arabia last week offered to pay for the construction of 200 new Mosques in Germany (http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/die-golfstaaten-schotten-sich-gegenueber-fluechtlingen-ab-13789932.html).

The United Nations expects one million “refugees” to arrive in Europe by the end of 2015,

The European Commission expects 3 million to arrive in Europe by the end of 2016.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has 100,000 (air-conditioned) tents, sitting empty and available, that could perfectly house some 3 million Syrian refugees. Located in the city of Mina, they’re only used a few days a year for pilgrims heading to Mecca (http://www.sbs.com.au/news/gallery/which-arab-country-has-room-three-million-refugees-and-has-so-far-taken-zero-according-un).

There are millions of people around the world who have been waiting in line to legally immigrate into the United States. Should any Syrian refugees wish to immigrate to the United States as well, they can apply through the normal process at the U.S. embassy of their Arab League host country.

With the highest GDP Arab countries unwilling to take in refugees, fellow Muslims in distress, why should the U.S. accept any? The U.S. is by a wide margin the highest financial contributor to Syrian relief efforts at $4.5 billion - http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-boost-contribution-for-humanitarian-aid-to-syrian-war-refugees-1442858302 (so don’t expect our crumbling interstate system rebuilt anytime soon)

The U.S. already contributes FAR more to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) than any other country. (http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-countries-that-contribute-the-most-to-the-uns-refugee-agency--by90QvX64l)

This on top of the White House’s decision to increase the cap on [alleged] refugees to 85,000 in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017. (http://www.wsj.com/articles/john-kerry-says-u-s-to-admit-30-000-more-refugees-in-next-2-years-1442768498?tesla=y)

In the minds of many Americans, refugees are people that would return home after the conflict in their homeland has ended. However these people have no intention of returning home, and that makes them immigrants rather than refugees.

With millions of people around the world already waiting in line to legally immigrate into the U.S., the only proper course is for these Syrian (and other) immigrants to apply via the normal process at U.S. embassies abroad and wait their turn in line.

On top of free U.S. money ($4.5 billion) for Syrian relief efforts alone, the other issues are the costs to U.S. taxpayers to support incoming “refugees” for an unknown number of years (welfare), and the loss of U.S. citizen jobs.

.

[kscarbel2]

“We don’t know who these individuals are. Any idea (that) you can do a background check of someone that’s been living in Syria is absolutely ridiculous. These are dangerous times, whether people want to admit it or not. We want to keep the war out of Mississippi, here on the homefront.”

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant

"It is irresponsible and severely disconcerting to place individuals, who may have ties to ISIS, in a state without the state's knowledge or involvement."

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

"There is virtually no vetting because there are no databases in Syria, there are no government records. We don't know who these people are."

New York Rep. Peter King

"It's not that we don't want to -- it's that we can't, because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria."

Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

"The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees."

Ohio Governor John Kasich spokesman Jim Lynch

[kscarbel2]

Germany’s Efforts to Integrate Migrants Into Its Workforce Falter

The Wall Street Journal  /  September 15, 2016

As the flow of asylum seekers entering Germanystarted to break historic records last fall, Continental AG rushed to tap some of the newcomers for its workforce.

But one year after the tire maker began advertising an internship program designed for 50 migrant workers, only 30 of the positions have been filled as it struggles to find suitable candidates or vet their qualifications.

Continental isn’t alone. Answering calls from Berlin to help in the country’s massive integration effort, German companies big and small have scouted refugee shelters and job centers for potential employees. Yet because of administrative bottlenecks and a mismatch in needed skills, the number of migrants in jobs with benefits was only about 25,000 higher in June than a year earlier, despite more than 736,000 arrivals in that time.

“It is a huge effort,” said Ariane Reinhart, Continental’s executive board member for human relations.

Frustrated with the slow pace of hiring, Chancellor Angela Merkel invited senior executives from the 121 companies behind a jobs-for-refugees initiative called “Us Together” to discuss their progress and difficulties on Wednesday.

More than 80 business leaders attended the three-hour meeting. Among those questioned by Ms. Merkel were top executives at Deutsche Bank AG and Lufthansa AG . “It is our common target to integrate more and more refugees into the labor market,” she said beforehand. “If we succeed, it will be a benefit for all.”

Afterward, an “Us Together” spokeswoman said there was “an open exchange” about existing projects.

Failure to integrate the recent arrivals into Germany’s economy, the largest in Europe, could seal Ms. Merkel’s political fate. The chancellor’s popularity has waned, and her party lost badly in recent regional elections as more Germans doubt the wisdom of opening the country’s doors, which has brought well over a million migrants into the country in the past 18 months. Ms. Merkel has until the general election next year to change their minds.

Companies blame the difficulty in hiring migrants on shortcomings in speaking German and lack of relevant skills, in part because many are young. They also say administrative and legal red tape forces many migrants to delay the job hunt until after their asylum claims are processed.

Deutsche Post AG offered internships for 1,000 refugees last year but has so far filled only 235 positions. A spokeswoman said the postal services company relies on employment agencies for help in finding interns. It employs 102 refugees, it said, many of them former interns.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the airline, said it had yet to hire any refugees, citing security reasons. Background checks on refugees aren’t “always easily doable against the backdrop of the often adventurous circumstances in the former home countries or during their flight,” a spokesman said.

The government isn’t faring much better: Federal agencies have hired five refugees as employees and 12 as trainees since the beginning of last year, the interior ministry told lawmakers last month.

This is despite the fact that there are few native Germans available to fill the highest number of job vacancies in a decade, and shortages of skilled workers are putting upward pressure on wages.

Mohammed Fdeilati, a 22-year-old Syrian, said he fled to Germany two years ago, after finishing school, and became eligible to work after a year.

“I wanted to do an apprenticeship to become a train driver at Deutsche Bahn, but they demanded a certain language level which I couldn’t meet,” he said. After searching for a job for two or three months, he found one as a bartender in Berlin.

The Confederation of German Employers’ Associations said the country should broaden its German language and professional training for migrants and lower legal hurdles for their employment. Adult refugees should be sent back to school, it said.

So far, only refugees whose asylum applications have been accepted are required to attend language classes. The confederations is urging that the regulation be extended to migrants whose prospects of receiving asylum are good. Migrants also need more help to find a course, it said.

Lack of education and professional experience, along with deficiencies in speaking German and the young age of many migrants, are big stumbling blocks. Three out of five refugees looking for jobs are only qualified to fill entry-level positions, according to the Federal Labor Agency. Only 14% could work as specialists and 3% as experts, it said.

The thicket of German labor laws is an obstacle, too. In some regions, employers with vacancies are required to search for a German applicant before hiring a migrant [As well they should !!!]. Asylum seekers can work for temporary employment agencies only after a 15-month waiting period. Many companies are also unwilling to invest in training workers whose long-term residency prospects are uncertain.

Most migrants lack the skills a sophisticated economy demands. German employers are mainly interested in skilled staff: Only 19% of all vacancies are for workers without adequate professional experience and education. Some 65% require midlevel qualification and 16% a university degree.

There are bright spots, however. Out of about 9,000 refugees applying for vocational training this summer, nearly 6,000 were accepted.

Internships typically last several weeks and are unpaid. While the numbers remain small, some companies said they were pleased. At sportswear giant Adidas AG , 15 refugees have completed internships as part of a two-year integration program, and another 15 are set to enroll by the end of the year.

“We’d be delighted if our interns decided after their two-year integration courses to do a traineeship at our company,” said Adidas spokeswoman Katja Schreiber.

[kscarbel2]

Texas pulls out of federal refugee resettlement program

The Guardian  /  September 30, 2016

Texas has announced its withdrawal from the federal refugee resettlement programme, effective from 31 January next year.

Amid rightwing concerns about national security, the announcement sent a political message. In a statement released on Friday, the Republican governor, Greg Abbott, said he had authorised the withdrawal in order to “continue to prioritise the safety of all Texans”.

The move will not, however, prevent refugees from coming to Texas. Not-for-profit groups have said they will continue to settle arrivals in the state without cooperation from the state government and there is no practical way of stopping people from crossing state borders once in the US.

A spokesman for Refugee Services of Texas told the Guardian the organisation was “very disappointed” in Abbott’s decision, and said resettlement agencies would “work diligently” to increase numbers of refugees accepted in the state.

The Texas state government signalled its intention to withdraw from the federal programme on 21 September, sending to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) a letter in which it demanded that the federal body approve its plan for increased screening.

Refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war are at the heart of concern in Texas. Republicans including Senator Ted Cruz have sounded an alarmist note, arguing that the Obama administration’s vetting process is inadequate and that prospective terrorists may be slipping across the border.

Earlier this month, Donald Trump Jr, the son of the Republican presidential candidate, tweeted an image likening refugees to poisoned Skittles candies.

Last November, Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, shared a Facebook post that compared Syrian refugees to rattlesnakes, with the text: “Can you tell me which of these rattlers won’t bite you? Sure some of them won’t, but tell me which ones so we can bring them into the house.”

The federal government contends that applicants are carefully scrutinised during a lengthy screening process. In August, the national security adviser, Susan Rice, said in a statement the US would admit at least 85,000 refugees in the 2016 fiscal year and had met Obama’s goal of 10,000 Syrian arrivals ahead of schedule.

At a United Nations summit earlier this month, Obama announced that the US would increase its intake to 110,000 refugees for the new fiscal year, starting 1 October.

In a statement on Friday, Governor Abbott said: “Texas has repeatedly requested that the director of the FBI and the director of national intelligence provide assurances that refugees resettled in Texas will not pose a security threat, and that the number of refugees resettled in Texas would not exceed the state’s original allocation in fiscal year 2016.”

Both these requests, he said, “have been denied by the federal government”.

“As a result,” he added, “Texas will withdraw from the refugee resettlement programme. As governor, I will continue to prioritise the safety of all Texans and urge the federal government to overhaul this severely broken system.”

Last December, weeks after the Paris terror attacks, Texas tried to block the imminent arrival of several Syrian refugees by filing a lawsuit against the federal government and the International Rescue Committee, a New York-based humanitarian organisation.

The lawsuit was dismissed, but Texas has continued its legal fight.

Refugee resettlement is overseen and funded by the federal government, but states typically work with humanitarian groups to provide services such as welfare and case management. In Texas, such organisations and the government will have to develop an alternative arrangement. Kansas and New Jersey withdrew from the programme earlier this year.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) refused to comment on Texas’s decision.

In 2015, according to the Migration Policy Institute, Texas resettled more refugees than any US state – 7,479 people, comprising 11% of the total.

“We’re very disappointed in Governor Abbott’s decision after nearly 40 years of a really strong programme to welcome refugees who are fleeing for their lives,” said Chris Kelley, a spokesman for Refugee Services of Texas, a social services group.

“The state has opted out of the programme at a time when Texas state government really should be stepping up. We want to assure all Texans, resettlement of refugees will continue through a nonprofit model that will be created.”

Rather than accept a reduction, Kelley said, “resettlement agencies across the state will be working diligently” to grow the numbers of refugee arrivals in line with federal targets.

[kscarbel2]

Hungarian PM Accuses Soros of Stoking Refugee Wave to Weaken Europe

Bloomberg  /  October 30, 2015

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused billionaire investor George Soros of being a prominent member of a circle of "activists" trying to undermine European nations by supporting refugees [economic migrants] heading to the continent from the Middle East and beyond.

"His name is perhaps the strongest example of those who support anything that weakens nation states, they support everything that changes the traditional European lifestyle," "These activists who support immigrants inadvertently become part of this international human-smuggling network," said Orban.

Rights groups have criticized Orban for building a razor-wire fence on the border, tightening asylum laws and boosting his support among voters with anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Soros, who was born in Hungary and is one of the biggest philanthropists in eastern Europe via his foundations and university, gives grants to organizations that provide legal assistance to asylum seekers [economic migrants].

Soros said in a statement that a six-point plan published by his foundation helps “uphold European values” while Orban’s actions “undermine those values.”

“His plan treats the protection of national borders as the objective and the refugees [economic migrants] as an obstacle,” Soros said in the statement. “Our plan treats the protection of refugees as the objective and national borders as the obstacle.”

[kscarbel2]

Send them back to Africa

Reuters  /  November 6, 2016

German Interior Ministry says EU should intercept asylum seekers at sea

The German Interior Ministry wants to stop migrants ever reaching Europe's Mediterranean coast by picking them up at sea and returning them to Africa, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday.

The ministry says the European Union should adopt an Australian-style system under which migrants intercepted at sea are sent for processing at camps in third countries.

"The elimination of the prospect of reaching the European coast could convince migrants to avoid embarking on the life-threatening and costly journey in the first place," a ministry spokeswoman said.

"The goal must be to remove the basis for people-smuggling organizations and to save migrants from the life-threatening journey."

The ministry's proposal calls for migrants picked up in the Mediterranean - most of whom set off from conflict-torn Libya - to be sent to Tunisia, Egypt or other north African states to apply for asylum from there.

If their asylum applications are accepted, the migrants could then be transported safely to Europe.

The ministry is headed by Thomas de Maiziere, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats.

Merkel has been under fire for her open-door refugee policy, with her party losing votes to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in recent regional elections.

“The Ministry of the Interior treats refugees as a contagious disease,” Green Party co-chair Katrin Goering-Eckardt told Welt am Sonntag. Bernd Riexinger, head of the leftist opposition Die Linke party, branded it “a humanitarian scandal and a further step toward elimination of the right to asylum.”

“The asylum check must take place in Germany, because the right to asylum also means the right to legal resources, that is, to lawyers, counseling centers, etc. The handling of refugees in Australia is absolutely unacceptable, and Germany and the EU must not be guided by it,” Riexinger stressed.

[41chevy]

Well this goes to the 2011  Clinton / Obama revolution in Libya. Libya was the stoppage or cork stemming the flow of terrorists, refugees and general trash from Africa into Eurasia. Thank them for the situation.

[kscarbel2]

Refugees held in Australian offshore detention to be resettled in US

The Guardian  /  November 12, 2016

Malcolm Turnbull announces one-off agreement for refugees [economic migrants] on Manus Island and Nauru to be resettled in the United States (Why ???)

The Australian government has announced a landmark “one off” resettlement deal to the United States for refugees held at Australia’s remote offshore detention facilities on Nauru and ManusIsland.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the immigration minister Peter Dutton announced on Sunday that will see some refugees on ManusIsland and Nauru will be resettled in the United States.

“I can now confirm that the government has now reached a further third party resettlement arrangement,” Turnbull said. “The agreement is with the United States. It is a one-off agreement. It will not be repeated. It is only available to those currently in the regional processing centres.”

“It will not be available to any persons seeking to reach Australia in the future. Our priorities is the resettlement of women, children and families.”

There is considerable uncertainty over how many refugees will be eligible for the resettlement deal with the United States. The remaining refugees on Nauru will be eligible for 20 year temporary visas on Nauru.

Turnbull stressed that vulnerable asylum seekers - including family groups on Nauru - would be prioritised. The assessments would be contingent on vetting by the United States Homeland Security agency.

He said that the scheme would be endorsed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A statement from the UNHCR said of the deal it was “not a party to it” and had no formal role in processing.

Australia’s opposition leader Bill Shorten also offered his cautious support for the resettlement deal.

“It has taken the government three plus years to negotiate this deal, but we are pleased if it is an end to indefinite detention,” Shorten said.

“We will certainly in principle work with the government. But we do welcome this. We do want to see people moved out of these facilities.”

Speculation the Australian government was preparing to finalise a resettlement deal with the US was sparked by the announcement in September it would take refugees from camps in Costa Rica.

Labor has opposed the measure, labelling aspects of the plan “ridiculous” because it would prevent a refugee resettled in a third country from coming to Australia as a tourist or on a business trip.

Among those on Manus and Nauru are people from Iran, Syria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iraq, as well as some who are stateless.

[mrsmackpaul]

good take them they cost us a fortune to look after still reckon it would be easier for the Australian Navy to do some target practice 

These jokers arent genuine refugees thats why they arent already here because they are dishonest

The Australian government has now passed laws that no boat people will be allowed to set foot on Australian soil ever immediate deportation sounds like a plan to me

I guess my thoughts on this makes me a racist asshole well Im not but enough is enough and these people see our country as a soft touch and abuse the system and its people  so no more  

Paul

  

[kscarbel2]

3 hours ago, mrsmackpaul said:

good take them they cost us a fortune to look after still reckon it would be easier for the Australian Navy to do some target practice 

These jokers arent genuine refugees thats why they arent already here because they are dishonest

The Australian government has now passed laws that no boat people will be allowed to set foot on Australian soil ever immediate deportation sounds like a plan to me

I guess my thoughts on this makes me a racist asshole well Im not but enough is enough and these people see our country as a soft touch and abuse the system and its people  so no more  

Paul 

Paul, these economic migrants were criminals from the moment they stepped onto boats around the world with the intention of illegally entering Australia, rather than applying to legally immigrate.

They aren't refugees, rather, like the hordes now in Europe, they are economic migrants. Mick Jagger was right.....not everyone can get what they want. It's reality.

These economic migrants are no different that the criminal illegal immigrants in the US that even Trump is willing to let stay, a reward for being skillful enough to successfully avoid the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (formerly known as INS) for 20 years.

You should put them in a boat headed back to where they came.

We don't want them Paul. We don't want our tax money spent on caring for them. Rather, we need new roads and schools, and funding for government health care.

[kscarbel2]

Australia refugee transfer poses test for Trump

The Financial Times  /  November 13, 2016

US agrees to resettle asylum seekers but president-elect opposes Muslim immigration

The outgoing US administration has handed President-elect Donald Trump an early test of his proposed crackdown on Muslim immigration by agreeing to resettle some of the refugees Australia holds on remote Pacific islands.

John Kerry, US secretary of state, said on Sunday that Washington had agreed to consider referrals from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on some of the 1,500 refugees living in offshore processing camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea for resettlement.

“We know that these refugees are of special interest to UNHCR and we’re very engaged with them on a humanitarian basis there and in other parts of the world,” Kerry told reporters in New Zealand.

[If so, why did the UNHCR issue a statement about the deal saying it was “not a party to it” and had no formal role in processing?]

Under the bilateral deal, which could be unpicked by the Trump administration, some of the most vulnerable refugees on Nauru — women, children and families — would be offered resettlement in the US. Many are Muslims from Iran, Syria, Iraq and Myanmar, according to refugee advocates.

On the US campaign trail, Mr Trump proposed a ban on Muslim immigration into America to protect the country from terrorist attacks. Mr Kerry said he was unable to answer whether the president-elect would seek to overturn the deal with Australia, which is likely to take months to implement.

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, said the resettlement deal with the US was a “one-off agreement” and would not be repeated for any asylum seekers who attempted to make the journey to Australia by boat in the future. Turnbull refused to provide any specifics on the number of refugees likely to be resettled in the US, saying US officials would arrive in the next few days to begin the process. 

Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said the reprocessing centre on Nauru would remain open indefinitely following the deal and he warned that any refugees who refused resettlement in the US would stay there. He said Canberra was negotiating a new 20-year visa with Nauru for refugees left on the island.

Under its hardline asylum policy, Australia directs its navy to turn back any boats carrying asylum seekers into international waters and puts those who arrive by boat in detention camps on South Pacific islands, while refusing to host those granted refugee status.

The policy has left almost 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers languishing in harsh conditions in camps with little hope of resettlement until now. But it has been ruthlessly effective in cutting the numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat, with Canberra reporting no successful arrivals since the policy was introduced in late 2013.

Over the past year Australia has faced growing international condemnation of its offshore processing regime and for failing to resettle refugees. The UN has warned its policies violate the convention against torture and Amnesty International recently said Canberra was deliberately subjecting refugees to “an elaborate and cruel system of abuse” to deter asylum seekers from seeking protection.

Australia’s opposition Labor party welcomed the prospect of a resettlement deal with the US. But human rights advocates criticised the lack of detail on the resettlement offer and whether it would ever be implemented given Mr Trump’s opposition to Muslim immigration during the US presidential election campaign. 

“This announcement is full of holes,” said Daniel Webb, director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre. “No timeframe. No numbers. No detail on what the government will do with the hundreds of innocent people who will be left behind. It’s not a plan.”

Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition, said implementation of the resettlement deal could still go “pear-shaped” given past comments from Mr Trump about banning Muslim immigration to the US.

[kscarbel2]

The human rights advocates should start their own country and take in all these economic migrants that they care so much about. They'd reconnect with reality real fast.

These economic migrants don't want to subjugate to the Australian, American or Western European way of life. They're just in town for the money.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

From a practical point of view, borders are too expensive to protect completely. For example, I live 400 miles from the border but could be in Canada in a day, and back home in the U.S. tomorrow, without bothering to stop at Customs. We could completely stop such illegal border crossings, but the cost would be huge- Expensive personnel on every mile of the border, expensive to maintain remote sensors, thousands of vehicles and ships, etc.. And after all that any idiot could still walk, swim, or paddle across the border on a dark warm night...

[mrsmackpaul]

4 hours ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

From a practical point of view, borders are too expensive to protect completely. For example, I live 400 miles from the border but could be in Canada in a day, and back home in the U.S. tomorrow, without bothering to stop at Customs. We could completely stop such illegal border crossings, but the cost would be huge- Expensive personnel on every mile of the border, expensive to maintain remote sensors, thousands of vehicles and ships, etc.. And after all that any idiot could still walk, swim, or paddle across the border on a dark warm night...

Bull shit look at how big Australias coast line is and we do a better job than the US and we have a lot less people to do it with 

The very problem today is people say everything is to hard or to expensive, and it gives me the jimmy brits let me tell ya , FFS really your borders for country are to costly and hard to protect, really what price do you put on your countries freedom to me my country, we can not put a price on our freedom how could we after what so many have given to make free

Doesnt it make a mockery of the US if what the good hard working people work and scrimp and save for to give them selves a better life is taken from them by people who just dont care or have enough respect to enter the right way

After all the conditions that the US and Australia have created that we live in and enjoy can be created anywhere around the world in their own countries it takes hard work from people working together and that have respect for each other and their country, it takes people that put their country first not them selves

Do any of these jokers immigrating illegally   have respect for them selves or their country or do they put their country first no they bloody well dont !!!

I reckon it should never be to hard to protect our country 

And as far as these jokers on Nauru what a pack of ass holes they use their kids and woman as pawns in their plight to try and break the law and force the good honest peoples hand , well stuff em and send them packing in a plane dont even bother landing just fly low and slow and push them out bloody criminals the lot of them

You know we used to welcome all once but like all things you abuse the system and we will only take so much 

After all we still welcome all just come the right way, work hard when you get here contribute to our country as we do and you will welcome

 

Paul

[HeavyGunner]

Very well said paul. A big reason for open borders is the dems figured out if they give free healthcare, housing etc and refuse to pass a law that requires state ID to vote they will forever get the border jumper vote. Dick Morris wrote a very interesting book about this very thing and yes Paul it does make a mockery of our country.