Ft. Morgan Somali murder update, alleged murderer is “a religious man”

I’ve been keeping an eye out for any more news about the murder of a young Somali woman in the welcoming city of Ft. Morgan, CO last fall.  The woman, a former refugee, was watching TV with friends when the doorbell rang.  She answered it and was stabbed to death by another Somali with the same last name (I know those clan names may not mean they were close relatives, but no report ever clarifies the relationship or how the two knew each other).

To review what happened in a case that initially had a gag order placed on it, go here and here for the earlier reports and links to additional posts on the story.

Here is the entire story today from the Ft. Morgan Times:

A plea agreement could be in the works for Ahmed Abdi of Greeley, accused of a fatal stabbing outside a local apartment last fall.

Disposition or an arraignment was continued Friday in Morgan County District Court to Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m. In either case, Abdi would be expected to enter a plea then.

Under a plea agreement revealed in court Friday by District Attorney Robert Watson, Abdi would plead guilty to second-degree murder and receive a 24-year prison sentence.

Abdi is accused of second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault in the Nov. 3 death of Warsen Aden Abdi, 27, in the hall outside an apartment in Fort Morgan.

Watson said the victim’s mother had agreed to the plea bargain and that the victim’s brother had wanted a death penalty case but agreed to the proposal.

Public defender J. Brandeis Sperandeo said the defendant was a religious man, that Morgan County jail did not have a Koran and that his office had come up with a Koran and other religious books.

He asked Judge Douglas Vannoy for a court order to provide Abdi with the books; Vannoy said that at this time it would be a jail administrative matter.

Abdi has been in Morgan County jail on $300,000 bond since his arrest in Greeley shortly after the incident.

It’s too bad if there isn’t a trial because I guess that is the only way the public would know if this is an honor killing or not.  Surely the politically correct media won’t be investigating.

Go to this old 9News story for a photo of the alleged murderer and religious man, Ahmed Abdi.

Asst. Secretary of State announces more funding for refugee agencies

Eric Schwartz, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, has written to “stakeholders” to announce the increase in funding for the State Department’s portion of the Refugee Resettlement Program.   We first reported this increase the other day, here.

Thanks to all who sent the letter today!

I have three questions.  First, where are they going to get the approximately $72,000,000 the increase may come to ($900 x 80,000 refugees), doesn’t Congress have to appropriate the money?  And, secondly, since Mr. Schwartz says there is more reform coming (besides more taxpayer dollars), how do we in the public get a chance to give our recommendations to the task force mentioned below?  And, finally, why is the funding change happening in advance of the other recommendations?  It makes me think there is a rush to beat the planned cutback in discretionary spending (if that is where this money is coming from) the Obama Administration is now proposing in its new “populist” political strategy.

Here then is Mr. Schwartz letter:

United States Department of State

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Washington, D.C. 20520

January 25, 2010

Doing Right by Newly Arriving Refugees

Dear Colleagues:

Right now, it is difficult for humanitarians to focus on much more than the devastation in Haiti, and our Bureau is working closely with USAID and others on the effort to provide life-sustaining assistance to the affected population. At the same time, a broad array of humanitarian programs supported by the U.S. Government continue to provide critical aid to populations around the world, and I wanted to take a moment to offer important news about one such effort: the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

When I took the job as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration in July, it was with a keen awareness of Secretary Clinton’s commitment to elevate U.S. efforts to address refugee issues, and my own responsibilities as the new steward of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Every year, the United States provides resettlement opportunities to thousands of the world’s most vulnerable refugees, in a program endorsed by the President (and every President since 1980) through an annual determination. This program, which resettled nearly 75,000 refugees in the United States in 2009, reflects our own tradition as a nation of immigrants and refugees. It is an important, enduring and ongoing expression of our commitment to international humanitarian principles. The program also imposes upon us a solemn responsibility to address effectively the basic needs of refugees during their first days in our country. And while we cannot guarantee their success, we must provide sufficient support to ensure refugees are able to get on their feet during their first weeks and months here – and move quickly toward becoming independent, productive members of their new communities.

A Sudanese refugee family arrives at the airport [a photo appears here in the letter]
Photo courtesy of UNHCR

Early in my tenure, I visited Chicago, Fort Wayne, IN and Minneapolis/St. Paul, to learn more about our efforts to meet the needs of newly arriving refugees – Bhutanese, Burmese, Burundians, Hmong, Iraqis and so many others. What I saw was both heartening and dismaying. It was so gratifying to witness the deep and abiding commitment to refugees among overworked and underpaid agency personnel in the field, the determination of new arrivals, and the welcoming spirit of local school, healthcare and government officials. On the other hand, it was very sad to meet with refugees who had severe problems that go well beyond the challenges that any new refugee might expect to confront. I heard from refugees threatened with eviction after only months in the United States. I learned that refugees often had to choose between buying food or diapers for their children. And I spoke with agency field staff overburdened by the number of refugee families they serve and the complexity of the resettlement service needs of recent arrivals.

The Reception and Placement Program administered by the Department of State includes a one-time per capita grant for the initial weeks after arrival, but the grant has declined in real terms by more than 50% since its inception some decades ago. This is a primary reason for the problems that I witnessed which have been documented and publicized in a variety of assessments over the past year or so. In short, the combined level of public and charitable resources available to the program is simply insufficient to do a quality job of initial resettlement. And in my own review of this issue, I heard repeatedly from all stakeholders — agencies, congressional staff, and PRM Admissions office officials — that our level of this short term support must increase substantially.

In light of our critical obligations on these issues, PRM will increase the Reception and Placement per capita grant from $900 to $1,800, which will be effective as of January 1, 2010. This is intended to address challenges refugees face in their first 30-90 days in the United States. It will directly benefit refugees and the network of local non-profit affiliates that serve them. This would not have been possible without the generous support of Congress, which has been steadfast in its endorsement of the USRAP, as well as support from the National Security Council and others in the Administration.

Refugee children in their new school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota [photo here in original]
Photo courtesy of UNHCR

The bulk of the increase, at least $1,100, will be designated for direct support of refugees – so that in the first weeks after their arrival, they have a roof over their heads, a clean bed in which to sleep and basic assistance. Affiliates providing aid to refugees will have some flexibility in how those funds are allocated, and will also be able to use up to $700 per capita to meet costs related to management of this program. This $700 figure — about a 50% increase over the current management ceiling — should address the need to lower client-to-staff ratios, support positions to coordinate volunteers or develop private resources for Reception and Placement, or otherwise improve the quality of Reception and Placement services received by refugees.

While a critical component of overall program improvements, this funding increase is only part of the answer. As many of you know, the White House is leading a comprehensive review of the refugee resettlement program, and PRM will remain deeply engaged in this effort.

Many thanks, and kind regards,

Eric Schwartz
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration

To learn more about PRM’s programs and activities, please visit our website at http://www.state.gov/g/prm/index.htm

Here is the press release from the State Department on the additional funding.

Sweden rattled by Somali militants in its midst

That is the title of this AP story today from Scandinavia  to which 40,000 Somalis have migrated in the last 20 years.   It is the same old story as the one we have become familiar with in American cities, most notably Minneapolis.  The Jihadist group Al-Shabab is recruiting, but apparently the Swedes have even less power to stop them than we do and are thus relying on other Somalis to talk them out of going to Africa.

Al-Shabab, which wants to install strict Islam in Somalia, controls much of the desert nation’s southern region and large parts of the capital. Intelligence officials say it is recruiting foreign fighters, including from the Somali diaspora in Europe and North America. U.S. authorities say as many as 20 recruits have left Minnesota.

In Sweden, police say they can do little to stop them leaving for Somalia unless they can prove that they are conspiring to commit terrorism. Unlike the U.S., Sweden has not put al-Shabab on any terrorism list.

“Legally you can’t prosecute anyone, neither the youth nor those who urged them to go,” said Johnny Lindh, police superintendent in the precinct that includes Rinkeby.

Read it all.

Muslim knife-carrying immigrant enters New York school

This scary story is a few days old.  I came upon it last night as I cruised around to some of my favorite sites—including Jihad Watch.

Here is how Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch opens his report on the incident about a man, believed to be a Muslim immigrant with a knife in an elementary school, that occurred in Piermont, near Nyack, NY:

When confronted, according to a source close to the events, he explained that he was lost and was looking for Fort Dix — the site of an attempted jihad attack in 2008. This report offers scant details, and there are apparently few to be had, but I am sure that Abdulrahim Sulaiman just wanted to help slash open the piñata at the school party, or perhaps help cut the lunchmeat at Fort Dix.

Just now as I researched the story, I couldn’t find the reference Mr. Spencer makes regarding Ft. Dix.  That reference is initially what caught my eye because I grew up near Ft. Dix and had visited the area of New York where the school is located and I know they are no where near each other.   Ft. Dix is in south central New Jersey, 95 miles south of the elementary school.  However,  the Tappan Zee elementary school is less than 31 miles down the Hudson River from the US Military Academy at West Point.  If I were investigators I wouldn’t be anxious to let this guy go!

Here then is the story of what happened at the end of last week.  From LoHud.com:

PIERMONT — A Connecticut man found trespassing Wednesday at a South Orangetown elementary school was arrested at a nearby store while carrying a knife, police said.

Abdulrahim Sulaiman, 23, [no hint of his ethnicity, but sounds Somali] of Bridgeport had already entered the main lobby of Tappan Zee Elementary School before 8 a.m. Wednesday, when he was spotted by school officials, police said.

After a call from Principal William Lee, police officers from Piermont and Orangetown arrived and arrested Sulaiman at a nearby convenience store.

Police said Sulaiman was carrying a gravity knife at the time of his arrest. The knife is similar to a switchblade.

In an e-mail to parents, Lee said he had questioned Sulaiman “for a few minutes” before asking him to leave.

No one was injured.

Lee said classes were not canceled, but students and staff were on lockdown while police swept the building.

Sulaiman was charged with third-degree criminal trespass and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both misdemeanors.

He was being held in the Rockland County jail. Bail was set at $5,000 cash. He is due in court Feb. 3. 

[.....]

It remained unclear why Sulaiman had entered the school.   [Testing us?  Or, missed West Point by 30 miles?]

Another hint to investigators, check the International Institute in Bridgeport, CT, a refugee resettlement agency affiliated with US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and see if he is one of their recently resettled refugees or students.

Sri Lankan boat people to be resettled

This is an update from Australia where a group of 78 Sri Lankan “refugees” (were they Tamils, this article doesn’t say) are being resettled in Australia, Canada and New Zealand after a long stand-off at sea and a temporary home in Indonesia.

Indonesia reportedly told Australia — we aren’t helping you anymore with your illegal immigrant problems!

We first told you about the story, here, in October.  

Below is a portion of the update today:

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – After staying in Riau`s immigration detention center for almost three months, all 78 Sri Lankan immigrants, who had earlier been `rescued` by Australia`s customs vessel Oceanic Viking, have finally left Riau, for third countries, either Australia, Canada or New Zealand.

Escorted by Indonesian foreign ministry and Australian embassy officials, the last batch of the immigrants left Riau on Wednesday (Jan. 20). The 16 immigrants were flown to Jakarta before proceeding to Australia and the Philippines.

“They are the last batch of a total of 78 Sri Lankan immigrants who were accommodated at the Tanjungpinang immigration detention center after they had to get off the Australian vessel Oceanic Viking,” Samsu Rizal, an Indonesian foreign ministry official, said in Tanjungpinang, Riau Province, Wednesday (Jan. 20).

[.....]

The deportation of Sri Lanka refugee in Indonesia to Canada and Australia, he added, was part of the Australian government`s initiative.

He explained the 78 Sri Lankans were allowed to stay on Indonesian territory for some time because Indonesia wanted to help Australia overcome the problem they posed after they were caught trying to reach Australian shores in rickety boats.

“But this will be the last time we are helping Australia deal with its foreign refugee influx problem,” Sujatmiko said adding that Indonesia did not incur any expenditures for the deportation since all the related costs were borne by the United Nations.

[....]

Despite the departure of the 78 refugees, it seems that the foreign immigrant problem is still far from over. [no kidding!]

By the way, I never did hear how the issue of the Tamils landing in Vancouver ended (if it ended).

Rasmussen: 46% of Americans say ‘no’ to more Haitian refugees

Here is a report from last week (hat tip: Susan) about results of a poll by the Rasmussen group on Haiti.

Authorities are preparing for a potential surge of Haitian refugees to the United States following their country’s horrific earthquake.

Though the surge has yet to materialize, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 31% of Americans believe Haitian refugees should be invited to live here. Forty-six percent (46%) say the refugees should not be invited to live in the United States. Another 22% remain undecided.

They asked many more questions relating to the earthquake crisis, read it all.

Former Congressman, consummate insider lobbyist, Dan Glickman to head Refugees International

I guess that is what a lobbying group needs, a lobbyist who knows the ropes in Washington.  And, surely a lobbyist who headed the Motion Picture Association of America is just the ticket to head a refugee organization.  Maybe its Glickman’s old contacts on the Intelligence Committee that commends him for the job.

Refugees International must have a lot of money kicking around to hire this guy, but then again keeping refugees flowing to the US, keeping the climate refugee issue alive, and mucking around in international affairs is a big job.

From the Capital-Journal:

A former 4th Congressional District representative has been named president of Refugees International, the leading advocacy organization on refugee crises worldwide, the agency announced Friday.

Dan Glickman served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years, beginning in 1974. During his time in Congress, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America and will start at Refugees International in April.

“While I have truly enjoyed my experience at the MPAA, it is time for me to return to my true passion: public service,” said Mr. Glickman.

“Refugees International has important work to do and I can’t sit on the sidelines as the world sees more and more people forced from their homes every day. I am very excited about this extraordinary opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world.”

Glickman succeeds the late Ken Bacon* who became president of Refugees International in 2001 and led the organization until his death in August.

“I could not be more enthusiastic that Dan has chosen to lead Refugees International,” said Farooq Kathwari**, Chair of Refugees International’s Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Ethan Allen.

Readers, if you have any information on Glickman send it our way!

* Political junkies will recall that Ken Bacon was the Pentagon spokesman during the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal who released Linda Tripp’s personel file to the media causing the media to focus their ire on Tripp (to destroy her) which played a role in saving Clinton’s bacon.

** Farooq Kathwari is involved with the Kashmiri separatist movement.  His son died a jihadist in Afghanistan.  Here is just one of several posts on Kathwari.

Kansas City update: profile of an African family’s continued troubles

We first reported problems with refugees in Kansas City, MO, here on January 6th.  Now, here is an update (I’m a little late since this incident was reported twelve days ago) about one African family featured in the earlier report at The Pitch.   This time they lost their heat and electricity.

I urge readers to read the entire article because it will give you a good idea of the insanity of the program whether you are a reader who wants more refugees to come to the US, or if you oppose the program altogether. 

Read the comments and note that one commenter defends Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) and says they have no control over the number of refugees they resettle.  YES THEY DO!  They can say ‘no’ to their parent federal contractor, in this case the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (known as USCRI).

However, in light of the news from the Obama Administration we reported two days ago that the federal taxpayer is going to fork over double the amount agencies were paid per head to resettle refugees (while apparently not slowing the flow into the US), it is highly unlikely USCRI will slow the flow to JVS—consider it a kind of ponzi scheme.

Anyway, here is The Pitch on the Burundian family:

In late November, Foibe Nibitanga spoke clearly and calmly about the challenges her family faced since arriving in Kansas City. On Sunday, her assertive demeanor had disappeared. With a handful of her eight children pouncing on an old couch beside her, Nibitanga’s words were quiet and her eyes were wet.

The Burundian family is among the hundreds of refugees resettled by Jewish Vocational Service using government dollars. By JVS’ own admission, money is tight and the organization is challenged to make ends meet for the large number of newcomers. The first few weeks, Nibitanga told The Pitch, her family suffered food shortages, wasn’t taken for medical screenings and feared for their security after a relative was injured during an attempted burglary of their Prospect Avenue apartment. (Officials at JVS insist Nibitanga was given all necessary provisions and services.)

On Sunday, she was even more fearful. Last week, she says, the lights went dark and the heat petered out in their apartment. Making her even more anxious: JVS officials told her that, from here on out, she’s on her own when it comes to paying her bills.

[.....]

Nibitanga receives food stamps and cash assistance from the state, but she doesn’t think it will be enough to sustain her family. She says she’s strong and willing to work, but has only been taken to one job interview since she arrived in October. Because she can’t speak even basic English yet, she can’t find employment on her own.

As I read this I’m thinking how on earth could a woman with 8 children be able to hold down a job to support the family, but note there is a father.  What is up with that?  Why isn’t he out job hunting?  What is this about him turning down a job?

The article ends with this:

Standing in the chilly apartment, Nibitanga is quick to consider whether her family would be better off in the refugee camp in Tanzania.

“Africa,” she says quickly, “is much better.”

Read it all!

Haitian “orphan” ping pong

Update February 3:  No Haitian orphans going to San Antonio, yet, here.

In the wake of the horrible earthquake in Haiti we have reported on efforts of do-gooders to round-up the “orphans” and bring them to the US.   Most notably it was all over the news about  Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Ed Rendell organizing a mission within days of the quake to bring 50-plus orphans to PA.  Also, Catholic Charities was getting in gear for a massive recreation of Operation Pedro Pan.

Now comes a report that cooler heads are prevailing, and agencies such as the International Rescue Committee (I can’t believe I’m agreeing with the IRC and this radical publication!*) are obviously at odds with Catholic Charities.

International Social Services and the International Rescue Committee concur, stating “in general, international adoption should not take place in a situation of war or natural disaster, given that these events make it impossible to verify the personal and family situation of children. Any operation to adopt or to evacuate children that are victims of the earthquake to another country must be absolutely avoided, as was the case during the 2004 tsunami….”

A professor in the Netherlands tells readers to follow the money! 

The Quebec government has followed the advise of these experts, putting a hold on new adoption applications for Haitian children while the U.S. and the Dutch have sent planes to bring children out of Haiti in the midst of the recovery efforts despite Professor Rene Hoksbergen of Utrecht University, the Netherlands, warning that authorities should take great care in dealing with orphans from such a disaster, fearing the hurried evacuation could send a wrong signal.

“You have to be very careful in adopting these children from a country in chaos,” he said. “It might look like when a country is a disaster it is easy to adopt children there.” Worse still is the fear of all NGOs of corrupt baby brokers and opportunistic child traffickers using such disasters to their advantage.

When confused by pro and con statements about adoption, with both sides claiming to have the best interest of children at heart…follow the money.

Adoption agencies, even religious and non-profit rely on the redistribution of children to pay their bills, including salaries. This motivates their “concerns.” They have lobbyists that pressure government into quick “feel good” bills and “rescue” actions that don’t always look so quite so good in hindsight, and by those “rescued” and their families – or snatched – depending on your point of view.

I’ll reiterate my opinion, with all this foreign concern and presumably funds, these agencies should set up first rate orphanages in Haiti and make every effort to reunite Haitian children with their families, a project that might take a couple of years.

*  Read the whole article. I think they have picked a few cases, and possibly overstated them, where “orphans” were hurt by quick action.  But some were surely helped and within those groups they cite I feel sure there are many former “orphans” who are glad they were saved.  Surely, all those little Jewish girls saved from the Nazis did not go into mental institutions.  Still, I concur with the general theme of this article—keep the kids in Haiti until the crisis is over, and try to find their families!

Supreme Court to hear Somali case? Do we protect war criminals?

That is what All Gov* is reporting yesterday.  Here is the whole story from Noel Brinkerhoff:

The former head of Somalia’s military is now the focus of a potential landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court which will decide whether foreign officials now living in the country can be subject to U.S. law.

Mohamed Ali Samantar, once Somalia’s minister of defense under the Siad Barre regime in the 1980s, now lives in Fairfax, Virginia. He has been accused by some Somalis of overseeing a campaign of torture, imprisonment and executions directed at political prisoners. The allegations include authorizing the 1988 military attacks that killed more than 5,000 people in Hargeisa, the nation’s second largest city.

The Center for Justice & Accountability has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Somali survivors who want Samantar punished for his actions. The case, Yousuf v. Samantar, relies on the Torture Victim Protection Act which Congress passed in 1991. The law states that foreign government officials accused of torture who now live in the U.S. can be accountable under American law as long as there is no effective judicial system in the country where the crimes were committed. Plaintiffs are arguing that the chaotic state of Somalia today makes it impossible to bring Samantar to justice back home.

Samantar insists that he is protected from legal action in the U.S. under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act which grants immunity from American lawsuits to government officials from other nations.

I’m not a lawyer but I wonder if this case will have some bearing eventually on Gitmo prisoners  should they be released in the US (I heard about the possible release of some on a  talking-head show yesterday).

*  I was not aware of All Gov (Everything our Government really does) before I saw this story, but it’s an interesting website, check it out.