NGOs want 200,000 more Refugees

41 NGO’s send letter to Obama: We want 200,000 refugees admitted to US in FY2017 by Ann Corcoran 8/31/16

Remember that Obama signaled last fall that he was shooting for 100,000 refugees for FY17 (it will be his last year to make a Presidential ‘determination’ under the Refugee Act of 1980).

These non-governmental organizations, part of yet another umbrella, this one called InterAction (a united global voice for change), include some of the nine major federal resettlement contractors we always talk about. They need money—your money—to build their offices, their staff and their political power base!

Resettling refugees takes a lot of money! Sorry to keep repeating this but I want you all, and especially new readers who arrive here every day, to understand what the game plan is—to change America by changing its people—and Obama has one more shot at it.  He will do his PR stunt at the UN on September 20th and then go to Congress with his final plan for 2017 before October 1 (the 2017 fiscal year begins October 1, a little over 4 weeks from now). However, Congress will have the final say as Congress holds the purse strings.  Congress can limit (or cut out completely!) funding for refugee resettlement into your towns.

It won’t be Obama making the final determination for 2017, it will be these two—Republican leaders in the House and Senate! So please, please, focus your energy on Congress right now and through the fall (in addition to making sure Hillary loses).  It will be Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell deciding your town’s future not Obama (or these progressive NGOs)!

In a letter dated last Thursday here is what the 41 non-profits affiliated with InterAction are telling Obama to do.  BTW that fizzled rally on the mall on Sunday is all part of this same propaganda push where they are trying to create the illusion that everyone in America is behind this.

Expanding and facilitating resettlement in the U.S.:

Over 80% of refugees are hosted in developing countries. Resettlement gives wealthier nations an important opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to global responsibility sharing. We urge the administration to commit to 200,000 refugee and humanitarian admissions in FY2017, including at least 140,000 through traditional refugee resettlement and 60,000 through other creative solutions such as expansions of family-based, employment, and student visas.

This 100% increase in resettlement and alternative admissions pathways would demonstrate that the United States, the world’s largest recipient for refugee resettlement, is willing to be as ambitious as it is asking others to be. [Maybe it’s time for all  those other countries to step up first and offer PERMANENT resettlement for a change!—ed] Read the whole letter here.

And, here are the signators (federal resettlement contractors in red, 4 of nine are here).  What about America’s own poor people?

ADRA International
Alliance for Peacebuilding
American Refugee Committee
AmeriCares
Better World Campaign
CARE
Center for Women Policy Studies
ChildFund International
Church World Service
Concern Worldwide US
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Episcopal Relief & Development
Global Campaign For Education-US
Global Communities
Global Links
Handicap International
Heart to Heart International
Helen Keller International
HIAS, Global Jewish Organization for Refugees
Inside NGO
International Catholic Migration Commission
International Medical Corps
International Rescue Committee
Jesuit Refugee Service USA
Keystone Human Services International
Lutheran World Relief
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Mercy Corps
Mercy-USA for Aid and Development
Pathfinder International
Save the Children
Seva Foundation
Stop Hunger Now
Syria Relief and Development
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
United Nations Association of the USA
Women Thrive Worldwide
Women’s Refugee Commission
World Concern
World Hope International
Zakat Foundation of America

Addendum:  I learned about this letter here at the International Catholic Migration Commission (a signator of the letter).

https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/41-ngos-send-letter-to-obama-we-want-200000-refugees-admitted-to-us-in-fy2017/