‘Church’ refugee resettlement
contractors bring in millions as debt collection agencies, Posted by Ann Corcoran, 12/2/15
Perhaps the
most wonderful thing about all of the burgeoning interest in how the UN/US
State Department Refugee Admissions Program works, is that we are discovering
that there are some real investigative reporters out there like this one
(Jeffrey McDonald) at Religion
News Service.
This airport
photo is from our post on the first Syrians arriving in KY. Note that ‘Dad’ is
carrying an IOM bag. The IOM arranges airfares after receiving money from the
US taxpayer.
For eight years we’ve commented about this
little known aspect of how the resettlement contractors (six
‘religiously-oriented ones) are getting a little extra boodle by pressuring
refugees to repay their airfare loans (the original funding came out of the
US Treasury and was distributed to the International Organization on Migration
to buy plane tickets). I have several posts on the practice, but here
is one from 2010 I found interesting when having a quick look.
In fact, where
I live, in 2007, a stressed-out refugee took a letter he didn’t understand to
an ESL teacher to ask exactly what it meant—it was a letter from a resettlement
agency telling him he needed to start paying back the airfare, or else.
The “or else” would be a poor credit rating (you can imagine how some
former camp-dwelling third-worlder was confused!).
So, if you are saying, well of course they
should pay it back! This is the part that is so egregious—-the
resettlement contractor pockets 25% of what the agency wrings out of the
refugee. It does not all return to the US Treasury.
Here
is the story I was so
excited to see! From Religion News Service (hat tip: Joanne):
(RNS)
Faith-based agencies that resettle refugees in America stand to gain more than
a clear conscience if the United States — after what is expected to be a fierce
debate in Congress — accepts a proposed 10,000 Syrian refugees next year.
More refugees also means more revenue for the
agencies’ little-known debt collection operations, which bring in upwards of $5
million a year in commissions as resettled refugees repay loans for their
travel costs. All nine resettlement agencies charge the same going rate as
private-sector debt collectors: 25 percent of all they recoup for the
government.
I think it’s
actually more than $5 million because in one recent year I saw that the US
Conference of Catholic Bishops had pulled in $3 million (in one year).
Later in the story reporter McDonald says he found that the USCCB got
$3.4 million from their debt collection work.
Human
rights industrial complex is having an internal conflict over the boodle. Now get this!
Even in their own circles they have noticed a little hypocrisy from those
who lecture us about our moral duty to “welcome the stranger.” Moral duty has
become a prominent feature of the refugee debate.
As resistance to refugees grows, so also do
calls for moral action on their behalf. Some refugee advocates are now urging
resettlement agencies to help the cause — and boost their own moral authority —
by forgoing their 25 percent commissions if possible and letting newly arrived
refugees keep that money. So far, none has heeded that call.
“It would be
wise, if they can afford it, to let the refugees use whatever resources they
have to help their self-sufficiency,” said Eva Millona, executive director of the
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “It would add more
credibility.”
What the heck,
give it to the refugee? How about foregoing their commission and giving all
of it back to the US taxpayer! (I’m betting none of this little cozy
arrangement was spelled out in the original Refugee Act of 1980.)
McDonald goes
on to explain how “churches” need this cold hard cash for their ‘good works.’ Read
the whole thing!
These are the
nine contractors resettling refugees and acting as debt collectors:
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
- Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM)
- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
- International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB)
- World Relief Corporation (WR)
More
here on Eva as she and the
NO Borders gang get ready for their big pow-wow later this month (where they
will be talking about us!). The event was planned long before all hell
broke loose with the refugee program.
One more
thing….It occurs to me that maybe we don’t give the contractors their cut but
instead use that 25% of returned airfare money to fund our proposed Repatriation
Fund! What do you
think?
Action
Alert: Call your members of the House and Senate at 202-224-3121 and ask
them to vigorously oppose the Refugee Resettlement funding contained in the
Omnibus Spending Bill that will be voted on by 12-11-15! Please call by this
Friday, Dec. 4th.
Comments
Muslims and Drug Gangs should not be welcome in the US. We
have “no go zones” including private ranches on the Mexican border. Muslims do not assimilate. We will soon have
“no go zones” in Muslimified communities.
They exist in France, England, Brussels, and wherever Muslims
concentrate. We have 3 million Muslims
in the US and this number is planned to double. Immigration into the US needs
to drop to zero until half of our 102 million unemployed US citizens are
working. Muslim refugees should go to Jordan.
The churches named above should feel a sudden drop in their
collection plates along with phone calls to file complaints with those who
support this treason. Pastors need to hear from their parishioners. We need to
extract our churches from all immigration activities.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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