How many Iraqi refugees will be resettled in Hyannisport?
Posted by acorcoran on October 2, 2007
In a sneaky manuever last Friday night, Senator Ted Kennedy attached the “Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act” to the National Defense Authorization bill— a bill which has fast become a Christmas tree adorned with assorted and unrelated ornaments. No hearings, no discussion, no chance for the public to comment, no wonder Congress’ approval rating is at its lowest point in history.
As we have previously said, the State Department has all the authority it needs to bring Iraqi refugees to our cities and towns within its annual quota for FY 2008. In fact, just yesterday Asst. Sec. of State Ellen Sauerbrey speaking at a meeting of the UNHCR–United Nations Refugee Agency–in Geneva, Switzerland, reiterated the US position that we need to care for the refugees in the region. As for resettlement, she said the Administration was proposing a hefty number of Iraqis be admitted to the US:
…..we have a goal of resettling 12,000 [as part of the 70,000 overall resettlement quota for the year] Iraqi refugees in 2008 for whom that durable solution is most appropriate.
Senator Kennedy’s original bill (analysis here) called for 15,000 Iraqis per year for 4 years over and above the annual overall quota. I was told on Saturday night by Senator Sessions (R-AL) that they held the number to 5000 and that Kennedy promised his colleagues he would not increase the numbers in conferance committee (the House passed the bill without the Iraqi refugee amendment back in May).
Here are a few reasons among many for this late night manuever. Because of security concerns the public would go ballistic if there was any real and open discussion about bringing thousands of Muslim Iraqis to America in a crisis fashion presumably with little time to scrutinize documents in countries such as Syria and Jordan. Look out Harrisonburg, VA, Warren, MI, and Denver, CO among other cities.
As we have said before, while our brave men and women are dying for Iraq’s future are we willing to open our arms to Muslim Iraqis who didn’t have the guts to stay and fight for their own country? Kennedy and his buddies at the UN have sissified the world. How about if those “millions” of refugees who have run to Syria went back to Iraq and threw out the insurgents?
And finally, Senator Ted Kennedy is pushing this “crisis” bill to send a signal to the public that the war is lost–with help from his friends in the mainstream media. See this Time Magazine article last week with its punch line: “US lost the war in Iraq.” Really? I guess if Time and Teddy say so, it must be so.
Senator Ted Kennedy is the author of the Refugee Act of 1980 which has to date brought over 2 million refugees to live in America, more than 20,000 of those are Iraqi Muslims. Gee, I wonder how many were resettled on Nantucket? How many third-worlders are playing touch football on the lawns of Hyannisport? Guesses anyone?
We have extensively followed the Iraqi refugee issue, go here to see our entire coverage.
End note: Our buddies at Church World Service have been lobbying for Kennedy’s bill.
cloudbasket said
As a lifelong democrat, I am so sick of our politicians, especially dems, who are all for yet more immigrants to come to the usa. Have none of them heard of overpopulation? I can just imagine them trying to raise animals. When the pasture wears out, these people must think the solution is to put more animals in the pasture! Holy crap. All of our politicians are way too wealthy to represent all but a few of us. Their homes are uncrowded and spacious. Their jobs cannot be outsourced or offered to people willing to take lower wages. The last kind of immigrants we need are muslims.In my opinion we don’t need any more immigrants period, but ncidents in France and england have shown that assimilation of muslims (generally) is exponentially slower than people with saner religions. Let muslims immigrate to a muslim country if they need to leave their homes. A usa muslim born woman on tv said, “I am a muslim first; an american (by which she meant usa citizen) second. Do we really need any more of that kind of problem here?
President Bush signed Iraqi refugee bill earlier this week « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] Crisis in Iraq Act” as part of the 2008 Dept. of Defense Authorization Act. We’ve written on many occasions about this amendment which was attached in the dark of night to the Defense [...]
More refugees headed to Worcester, MA « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] have an for Mr. Chacon and the Governor, maybe they could resettle a few hundred refugees in Hyannisport since Massachusetts Senator Kennedy is the original sponsor of the Refugee Act of [...]
Senator Joe Biden is such a hypocrite « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] year Senator Ted (bring them to Hyannisport) Kennedy managed to pass legislation in the dark of night (attaching it to the Defense [...]
State Department Briefing on Iraqi refugee numbers is revealing « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] is because in addition to the 17,000 normal Iraqi refugees they plan to admit to the US, the Kennedy bill (which we have discussed on several occasions) allows up to 5000 special visas for Iraqis (living [...]
Iraqis: Even if we are accepted we have decided not to go…. « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] to you, they aren’t, but they are eligible to enter the US as refugees thanks to the bill Senator (send them to Hyannisport) Kennedy snuck into a defense appropriation bill in late [...]
IRC Press Release: unintended consequences? « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] whole program, Kennedy successfully attached a bill to expand the number of Iraqis entering the US here, but it’s no surprise, none will go to [...]
Kennedy (expletive deleted!) No fierce advocate for Mary Jo « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] being a murderer, Kennedy was a hypocrite. He is responsible for the Refugee Act of 1980 but as my name for him indicates he was all for bringing the third world to America but not to his backyard at Martha’s [...]