More corrections needed: Asylum seeker
vs. Refugee, by Ann Corcoran, 10/12/18.
Let
me say that I am glad to see that new readers arrive here daily, but long time
readers, please accept my apologies for repeating information you already know.
Commenter
‘Kansasdudess‘ said this yesterday in a comment to my
post on about Twin Falls, Idaho, here.
“I’d like to point out that in
every country except the US refugees are not placed into actual
communities..they are housed in refugee camps..geeze if they knew they were
going to live in camps and not in society with full benefits they wouldn’t
come..who
the hell decided they need to be placed in regular society???!!!! when
did refugee status become perminant status? refugee means they go home too…”
Refugees - First, here at RRW we
are mostly focused on the present US Refugee Admissions Program established by
law in 1980—The Refugee Act of 1980.
“Who the hell decided?” asked our
commenter. Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden with other Democrat
Senators decided in 1979. The Refugee Act of 1980 was then signed in to law by
President Jimmy Carter. Congress and the President decided 38 years ago,
and if you want to change it now, Congress and the President must decide.
Briefly,
refugees, as defined by the Act’, are people we have located abroad
(mostly with the help of the UN now) who claim they would be persecuted if
returned to their home countries—persecuted for their race, religion, political
views and so forth.
We
fly them to the US and through US State Department resettlement contractors
(nine non-profits) we place them in hundreds of US towns and
cities. They
are here legally (permanently) and they are on a track to US citizenship.
You
are not to be faulted for being confused about the word ‘refugee’ because the Leftists and No
Borders activists around the world have done their best to make you think that
anyone on the move around the world for any reason is a refugee deserving of special
treatment. They
are not.
Most
are economic migrants, some are getting away from civil wars at home, and some
are criminals. But, here the word refugee has a very specific meaning and is
used for those who are legally here through the US Refugee Admissions Program.
As
for Kansas dudess’s assertion that around the world “refugees” are in
camps. Yes, in some places they are, but the vast majority of migrant asylum
seekers (they are NOT legal
refugees yet) are
free in many countries until their asylum claim has been processed—think
Germany, Italy, France, the UK etc. etc. There they live mostly in
special housing and are free to move about in the community. (There is
increasingly more talk in Europe about building detention centers.)
Asylum seekers and Asylees - So
what is asylum? That is when migrants of some sort go to another country
on their own initiative and then ask for asylum claiming they will be
persecuted in their home country if they are returned. The
asylum process is being abused around the world.
All
of those Africans and Middle Easterners flooding Europe are not refugees. Some
may be able to prove (through an asylum process) that they should get the first
class treatment afforded legitimate refugees, but most are economic migrants
looking for a better life. I repeat: they are NOT refugees until they are
given asylum status.
Here
in the US our immigration system is being scammed now as thousands cross our
borders and ask for asylum. If they get through the asylum process and
are judged to be legitimate refugees, we call them asylees. And, then,
just like the refugees we flew in, they can stay and take advantage of the many
benefits life in America will give them (including ultimately
citizenship).(I explained asylum here and here,
just a few weeks ago!)
So in summary, the word ‘refugee’ used at this site refers to a class
of LEGAL immigrant. They are flown here by our government.
They are here to stay. They can work. They can get welfare. They will
eventually become US citizens. And,
if an asylum seeker can make his or her case through a legal process, then that
person can say they are a refugee as well.
Bottomline: words matter! Don’t fall for the
Left’s broad definition of refugee. Everyone on the move around the world is
NOT a refugee.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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