To The
Citizens of Radford, Virginia June 29, 2016
Over
the past few weeks, two important meetings were held in Radford. The subject of
both was to introduce Radford to the refugee resettlement program under the
auspices of Commonwealth Catholic Charities, a sub-contractor for the US
Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB is a federal contractor in
the business of resettling refugees in your community. Both meetings were
conducted in local churches and sought volunteers to help with the resettlement
activities. Let’s
start with some facts: who are these people, what are they doing here and why
Radford?
USCCB
is a federal contractor in the business – and yes, it is a business – of
resettling refugees under the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and the
Virginia Office of Newcomer Services. Much of their funding comes from federal
grant money allocated to Virginia and passed through the Virginia ONS.
Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGs) such as the USCCB are paid by the head. In
other words, the more refugees they resettle, the more money they receive.
Given this business model, there is no incentive for any VOLAG to stop
resettling refugees in your community. Once it starts, it will not stop
until either your community can’t shoulder any more or you stop it.
Yes,
they are talking about only bringing in two families. But this is how it
always starts. Look to your neighbors in the north in Roanoke to
understand what awaits you. Roanoke has accepted close to 2,000 refugees
over more than ten years from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Burma, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq,
Ivory Coast, Liberia, Pakistan, Republic of South Sudan, Russia, Rwanda,
Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Vietnam.
And
that number – 2,000 – is only the direct and initial refugee
resettlement. It does not include secondary migration (when a refugee
moves from one state and town to another within the US) or follow to join
(family reunification). Source: Refugee Processing Center, US State Department.
To the Faith Communities of Radford
USCCB
promotes refugee resettlement by reminding you of your Christian duties to aid
those less fortunate than yourselves and to welcome the stranger. But, as
a federal contractor that receives federal funding, the USCCB and their sub-
contractor Commonwealth Catholic Charities are prohibited from testifying or
proselytizing in any way, shape or form to the refugees they resettle. Conducting
the introductory meetings in churches lends a patina of faith-based initiative
to a project that is, in reality, based on maximizing profit for a federal
contractor.
To Radford Volunteers for Refugee Resettlement
The
USCCB receives grant money through the Matching Grant Program. This
program provides federal matching for “in-kind” contributions from non-federal
sources.
“Participating
agencies agree to match the ORR grant with cash and in-kind contributions of
goods and services from the “community”. The ORR awards $2 for every $1 raised
by the resettlement agency from non-federal sources, including state and local
support, United Way contributions, and in-kind support from other local and
volunteer organizations, up to a maximum of $2,200 in federal funds per client.
Of this match – an uneven public/private match – Volags and local affiliates
only need to give 20 percent of the match in cash; the balance may be in cash,
in-kind services, or donated goods.” See Christopher Coen’s full explanation here.
So…when
you volunteer your time and donate your household furnishings and appliances to
refugees, is it truly a donation or is a federal contractor receiving twice the
value of your time and your goods to further fund their operations? It is
a question that every volunteer should ask.
To the Parents of Radford
Look
again at the list of countries from which refugees have arrived in Roanoke.
Forgive the sarcasm, but so many languages in the schools system renders the
junior year abroad unnecessary. What you need to ask yourselves is this:
how will an influx of refugee children speaking multiple languages who may not
even be literate in their native tongues affect the quality of education for
your children? Aren’t your public schools challenged enough already
serving the existing population of students?
To the Aid Recipients of Radford
Statistics
prove that refugee populations depend on public assistance far more than the
general population.
“According
to the most recent government data, even those refugees in the country for five
years are largely dependent on taxpayer largesse. Sixty percent of this group
receives food stamps and 17 percent are on the cash welfare program Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). A nationwide U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services study shows 44 percent are still in Medicaid and 29 percent
of families who have been here for five years have one or more members on the
lifetime cash welfare program Supplemental Security Income (SSI).”
Don Barnett, Center for Immigration Studies.
Economic
troubles over the past few years have already put community resources under
strain. Can Radford afford to accept more people who will, once their
federal funding runs out in 90 to 120 days, burden the public assistance rolls
even further? And what if there’s not enough to go around for
everyone? Can you get by with less? And where will you live if
there is not enough affordable housing to go around?
To the Employed of Radford
When
Radford becomes a target for refugee resettlement, where will they all
work? Are there any new businesses planning to relocate to Radford?
I didn’t think so. If you are getting by, as so many of us are, with a
low paying job, now you will have competition from a new group of low wage
earners. Are you willing to lose your job and go on public assistance?
To the Health Care Professionals of Radford
Despite
assurances from HHS and the ORR regarding the health screenings and treatment
of refugee prior to entry into the US, local health departments are
experiencing an increase in communicable diseases and disorders from refugee
populations. The increase in cases of latent tuberculosis is particularly
troubling. 22% of resettled refugees in Minnesota test positive for
latent TB. And Arizona state officials have stated that active
TB resulting from latent TB cases in the refugee population presents a public
health issue. How will you and the Radford health system cope should
there be an outbreak? More importantly, should Radford even take such
risks?
To the Elected Officials of Radford
Many
arguments can be made for allowing refugee resettlement in Radford.
Virginia is a Dillon state, this is a federal program, etc. and the city
council has no authority to oppose resettlement. The “stakeholders” all
assure you that you cannot say “no” and don’t worry, everything will be just
fine.
Turn
your attention, please to this 3 minute video clip taken from the full Senate
Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Immigration and the National Interest dated
October 1, 2015, Senator Jeff Sessions chairing.
In the
clip Larry Bartlett, Admissions Director, State Department, Bureau of
Population, Refugees and Migration states that on-going consultation with local
communities regarding resettlement is required by the State Department and that
the responsibility for these consultations is placed on the local resettlement
agencies. He further states that the local resettlement agencies are
required to report their compliance with this consultation requirement to the
State Department.
Was
the Radford City Council consulted? I didn’t think so. Actually,
those two un-advertised meetings mentioned at the beginning of this article
were probably the CCC’s attempt to comply with the requirement to “consult” as
stated in Larry Bartlett’s testimony. Do you consider two un-posted and
un-advertised meetings to which you were not invited proper and sufficient
consultation? I wouldn’t.
Very
rarely does “consultation with stakeholders” include elected officials.
Those involved in refugee resettlement don’t include you because they don’t
want you to know what’s going on. You are purposely being kept in the
dark and for good reason.
The
most important and final stakeholders in this scheme are the tax-paying
citizens of Radford whose federal, state and local taxes ultimately pay for
refugee resettlement – an undisclosed and unfunded mandate on the citizens of
Radford.
More
in-depth with video testimony :
http://virginiafreecitizen.com/2016/06/29/to-the-citizens-of-radford-virginia/
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