Report: Life stinks for Somalis in Ireland

Since I’m on the subject of Europe (see my previous post about Malta, here), I thought I better get this older news story from Ireland posted before it’s way too old.

Some Leftwing activist groups have published a report bemoaning life in Ireland for Somali refugees.  Here is how the article in the Irish Times begins:

LIFE FOR asylum seekers living in direct provision centres in Ireland has come to mirror that found in refugee camps in the developing world, a new report on the experience of Somali refugees claims.

A lack of support when people leave the centres and move into Irish society also makes integration difficult and exposes individuals to high unemployment and troublesome resettlement, it says.

‘From Catastrophe to Marginalisation: the Experiences of Somali Refugees in Ireland’ concludes the difficulties faced by Somali refugees are “emblematic of the limits of Ireland’s integration policies”.

“Fleeing catastrophic war conditions and arriving in Europe, often without linguistic or educational skills, Somali refugees experience high unemployment rates, difficult educational trajectories and troublesome resettlement.

“Race and religious discrimination, coupled with isolation due to the difficulties in securing family reunification, compound their less than smooth resettlement,” says the report, which was compiled by the Trinity Immigration Initiative and Horn of Africa People’s Aid, a refugee advocate organisation.

Some Somalis are doing just fine the report admits, but the ‘hostels’ come in for the most complaints. 

It estimates there are up to 3,000 Somalis living in Ireland, many of whom are refugees. Figures from the Reception and Integration Agency show 282 Somali asylum seekers were living in direct-provision hostels in July.

Wahhhh! It’s cold and the food is lousy!

Now check out this next sob story in the article.  This woman escaped persecution (she says) in Somalia where she had been raped, bought her way out of Africa with the help of someone in the US, ended up in Ireland and complains about the cold and the food!  (This is Ireland!)  And, by the way, how is she producing more children while living in a hostel with no husband? The article says she was pregnant when she arrived, but says nothing about other children at that time.  Did she have triplets?

Safia Sharif, from Somalia, applied for asylum here in January 2005. She has been refused refugee status and is living in Mosney while she awaits a final decision by the Department of Justice on whether she can stay in the country or will be deported.

“I am from Afgooye, a town about 25km west of Mogadishu. I fled my country when I was taken hostage by a militia, who wanted to know the whereabouts of my husband. I was persecuted, harassed and raped by the militia over a four-month period. When my family paid a ransom to the militia I was released, and an aunt living in the US arranged with an agent [trafficker] to get me out of Somalia. The agent got me a Dutch passport and I travelled from Somalia to Dubai and onto England, and finally to Rosslare. When I arrived [there] I was very sick and weak from malnutrition. I spent four days in hospital.

“I applied for asylum and was sent to a direct-provision hostel in Kilmacud [Dublin] for three weeks before I was moved on to the Quiet Man hostel in Cong, Co Mayo. This was a tiny village and there were no other Somalis there, and I began to feel isolated and depressed. As a women who is a victim of female genital mutilation, the doctor who was in that place was not very familiar with my problem. This was an issue because I was pregnant.

“After I gave birth I was moved to a hostel in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, which has to be one of the worst. It was winter and the hostel was cold and the food was bad.

“Then I was moved to Mosney, which is better and made me feel like a human being again. But after almost six years waiting for a decision on my case I am feeling very depressed. I risked my life coming to Europe but I can’t stand it any more. If the Government can’t accept me then send me to another country. It’s a big crime to leave human beings in direct provision for this length of time. I have three children and I’m exhausted. I don’t want to end up in a psychiatric hospital.”

If she’s been kept in a hostel for 6 years there must be more to this case then we know.  Maybe intelligence agencies are trying to find out who in the US  helped her hire traffickers.   Hey, maybe Allahsoldier knows!

Use our search function for ‘Ireland’ to learn more about ‘troubles’ Ireland will have with multiculturalism as their immigrant population grows.  If they thought the Catholic-Protestant conflicts were awful, they have some real trouble coming with immigrants who won’t assimilate.

Update:  A reader his kindly sent us the Irish ‘direct provision’ policy, here.  For someone who has supposedly been raped, tortured and tormented, sure looks good to me!

Moving more of ‘em out of Malta…

….to a town near you!

I’ve written ad naseam about the precedent being set by the US State Department and our US ambassadors to Malta of taking Malta’s illegal alien boat people and sending them to the US as full-fledged refugees.   Next will we take other EU countries’ asylum seekers—Italy’s, France’s, Greece’s etc.? 

Here we go again!

From an October 29th story at Malta Media Online:

40 refugees from Eritrea and Somalia left Malta for the United States, the US Ambassador for Malta said.

Since the US Embassy began its permanent refugee resettlement program in May 2008, 540 refugees have been transferred to the US.

Ambassador Douglas Kmiec hosted a reception at his residence to welcome the refugees to their new lives in America.

I told you about former Ambassador ‘Tea Party Molly’ (no not the political tea party, I just called her that when she gave a real tea party to Somalis headed to the US thanks to her efforts) here in 2008.   Kmiec is obviously following in her footsteps with his send-off party.  By the way, we have several posts (here and here are just two) on Kmiec, a controversial figure during the Obama Presidential campaign—he was one of those despised Republicans for Obama.  I suspect he is a far Left activist in the Catholic Church and not really a Republican at all. 

Malta Media goes on:

Once they arrive in the US, refugees will be assigned a sponsor agency that provides assistance and support during a transition period lasting up to 2 years in order to ensure integration and assimilation. [they don't get 2 years, they get 8 months max to get established and get jobs---ed]

Be sure to watch the film clip even if you can’t understand the language for pictures of the wire enclosed tent city in Malta in which the so-called “refugees” live until they are moved to a first world country (and not back to Africa).

Malta’s illegal aliens going to Germany too!

This is a story from Monsters & Critics I’ve had hanging around for over a week and just didn’t get to.

Valletta, Malta – Around 100 African immigrants will be transferred from Malta to Germany after having been officially recognised as refugees, the Maltese government said on Tuesday.

The immigrants, Somalis, Eritreans and Ethiopians, are due to leave Malta on Thursday.

It is the third time the Berlin government has accepted a number of refugees who have been stranded in Malta for resettlement in Germany on humanitarian grounds.

Another around 750 African immigrants living on the tiny Mediterranean island are expected to be be transferred to the United States and several European Union countries over the coming 12 months, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR recently said.

Wonder how thats going to sit with Germans who are already in a crisis with immigrants not assimilating—see Merkel on her country’s multiculturalism crisis, here.

Refugee gardening projects cost taxpayers a cool million bucks this year!

Your tax dollars:

I told you about one of the latest trends in the burgeoning refugee business—refugee gardening here, and a reader involved with a project in Ft. Wayne told us about the pitfalls (mostly refugees don’t want to do the work) here.  So when I saw an article about a gardening grant to the International Institute in St. Louis*, I explored a little further.

Here is some of the story at a post at 17th Ward:

The International Institute, a refugee resettlement agency serving clients in St. Louis, recently received a grant [how big was the grant?---ed] that will enable them to start a larger-scale community garden located on the 4000 block of Folsom in Botanical Heights, neighboring the existing (and recently famed) Botanical Heights Community Garden. The garden will serve as a community space for International Institute clients in an effort to provide them opportunity for healthy nutrition, economic sustainability, and integration into American society. The International Institute is working with the Garden District Commission in obtaining space for the garden.

Who awards the grant?

US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement. The grant is called the Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program. The goal of the grant is to support rural and urban farming, gardening and food systems projects that use partnerships to create income, have healthier food and better nutrition, and enhance integration into American society on the part of refugee families.

They will be selling their produce? 

By using their past skills as farmers, refugees will enhance their sense of self-sufficiency, community cohesion and a reconnection with their past. Also by selling produce in local markets they will connect with the St. Louis community and earn supplemental income.

Sounds lovely, but did anyone run the numbers on this—-you know how much taxpayer money goes in to produce how much food at what market value?

So how much money are we talking about?

Yikes, the Office of Refugee Resettlement is planning 12 projects for a total taxpayer outlay of $1,000,000.  Each project will cost from $50,000-100,000!   Read all about it here.

Below is a portion of the grant description that gives me pause.  Am I reading this correctly?  Are we going to be expanding the use of food stamps at farmers markets (or have we already)?  We have enough problems with mom and pop convenience stores and food stamp fraud.  Can you imagine if every little farm stand could take food stamps!  So tell me, am I reading this wrong?

…..in addition to having farming and gardening activites, projects may promote the purchase of fresh produce at farmers markets and other outlets from personal earnings and the programs of the USDA Food & Nutrition Service that include SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women Infants & Children) and Seniors Coupons.

Endnote:  Be sure to check out the photo of the raised beds in the 17th Ward post.  I don’t want to sound too cranky but think of the waste of land with that helter skelter layout of the raised beds.  Imagine how hard it will be to keep the grass and weeds under control between beds that cannot easily be mowed around.   I wonder how many low-income Americans would like to have new lumber and trucked-in soil for their own gardens?

* We had a report about refugee neglect by the International Institute of St. Louis way back in 2007, here.

Rise of the European right wing frightens American left wing journalists

That isn’t really the title of the lengthy article in the Washington Post on Tuesday, but that’s the basic feeling I got when I read the article really entitled, ‘Anti-Muslim feelings propel right wing’ about the rising political power of immigration restrictionist groups in Europe.

The WaPo begins (and note they need to get that “white spremacists” phrase in early so readers know what to think about the rest of the news and opinions that are coming):

STOCKHOLM – On the heels of elections that stunned many in this famously progressive land, Kent Ekeroth and his peers marched through the castle-like parliament doors this month on a mission to combat what they call Sweden’s greatest problem: Muslim immigration.

The 20 Swedish Democrats – the first national lawmakers from a party initially spawned in the 1980s by white supremacists – are working to impose a moratorium on new mosques, ban the shroud-like coverings worn by some conservative Muslim women and largely halt immigration from predominantly Muslim nations.

You can read the rest yourself.  But, a few lines deep in the story says it all:

“It isn’t racist to want to preserve your culture,” said Leif Johansson, a 64-year-old carpenter. “I’m open to immigration, but these people come without a thought to integration, no interest in learning Swedish or being part of Swedish society.”

The 64-year-old carpenter nails the truth of the matter.  Like all cultures, we want to preserve ours and you want to preserve yours (if you are an immigrant to Sweden from say Africa).  Only westerners, however, are made to feel guilty for that wish.  With Africans or Asians or whomever, it is considered colorful and quaint to hold onto one’s culture.  When we want to preserve ours we are called “white supremacists.” 

We are all trying to hold onto our culture because it is natural and part of our human nature.  So the argument really is about—on what soil (on what piece of the earth) are we going to stake our claim as home to our culture and preserve that culture.  But, the whole notion of that truth scares the living daylights out of the left wing media where most journalists have grown up with the ‘la-la land’ idea that we should be one big happy world.  We aren’t and we never will be—just have a peak at world history.

By the way, I am reminded of the Somali immigrant who wrote to RRW here earlier this year and said we have a lot of open land in America and they plan to fill it up.

For more on Sweden, use our search function because we have written quite a bit about the problems there with uncontrolled immigration mostly from Muslim countries.

“Shabaabers” shoot two teenage girls in Somalia

Whenever I’m short on time to post (as I am today), I can be sure to quickly check my alerts and find some new and shocking story involving Somalis.  Here the New York Times reports on the execution of two teens, one only 14 years old, accused of spying for Ethiopia.   You can read all the gory details yourself at the Times.

Also reporting on the news is Brenda Walker at Limits to Growth who puts the latest barbarism in the Horn of Africa into more colorful (and politically incorrect!) terms. 

Civilization has had little effect in the Horn of Africa, where Islamist soldiers executed two girls apparently out of pique or boredom or too much khat. Or perhaps the Shabaabers wanted to demonstrate their power over the locals.　

[.....]

Nevertheless, Washington continues to welcome thousands of Somalis every year as both immigrants and refugees, despite their disinclination for assimilation as shown by terrorism and gang crime. 

[.....]

The question is why the feds continue to admit many thousands of arguably the most inappropriate, undesirable immigrants on earth. The correct number of Somalis allowed to enter the US should be zero.

Open Borders gang wants more Africans admitted to US and questions DNA testing requirement

That is basically the gist of the post at a blog called Immigration Impact.

Who are these political activists pretending to be non-partisan policy analysts?  Frankly, I don’t know exactly because I see they reference the Immigration Policy Center which is an arm of the American Immigration Council which is itself a spin-off of the American Immigration Law Foundation.  By the way, Guidestar says of AILF (whose file doesn’t open there):

AILF promotes public understanding of immigration law and policy through education, policy analysis, and support to litigators. We seek to counter anti-immigrant groups that would close America’s doors to future newcomers, making the case that America is a Nation of Immigrants.

My point in stating this, about the tangle of groups, is that this is typical of organizations most likely connected to George Soros and/or the Tides Foundation—one cannot follow the money trail partially because they are always changing names and spinning off new groups and casual readers believe them to be independent analysts when in fact they are activists.

Family reunification fraud

But, back to my story today.  Regular readers are well aware of the the fraud that was discovered in the P-3 (family reunification program) of the US State Department.  It was learned in 2008 that as many as 80% of the refugees entering the US as family members (primarily from East Africa) arrived here falsely claiming a family relationship to others already here.  The State Department puts the estimate of the number of illegal Africans (largely Somali) at 36,000 admitted from 2003-2008.

Now the State Department is getting ready to re-open the P-3 program that has been suspended since 2008.   It is imperative that anyone concerned about re-opening the program with some evident loop holes, should send comments in response to the Federal Register posting.   (Reader Tony Lee, gives us instructions on some problems we can raise, here).

Now to that Immigration Impact post entitled, ‘Underrepresented African refugees and potential problems with DNA Testing ‘(emphasis mine):

Earlier this month, President Obama announcedthe annual refugee allocations—80,000 total for Fiscal Year 2011, the same total as in 2010. However, while the total yearly allocation is the same, African refugees are being underrepresented. The 2011 ceiling for African refugees is 15,000, which is slightly lower than in 2010 and nearly 25 percent lower than the average for the previous decade (2000-2010). In reality, the number of African refugees actually admitted has fallen considerably below the ceilings due to processing problems. Why? New data documenting the underrepresentation of refugees from Africa in the U.S. looks at allegations of fraudulent African family reunification applications, DNA testing programs, and its implications for U.S. refugee and immigration policy.  [Readers, I recommend reading the source to follow links which did not transfer easily here.--ed]

Implications are then made that the US State Department wasn’t being fair in its DNA testing program:

However, the P3 program was suspended in 2008 due to allegations of fraud. The program relied on attestations of relationship from family members, and there were concerns that many applicants purporting to be blood relatives were not, in fact, related. A DNA testing pilot project to test DNA samples of P3 applicants was initiated in several African countries. Refugees were asked at their interviews (with no forewarning) to provide a DNA sample. Large levels of fraud were reported. However, counted in the fraudulent cases were people who refused to submit DNA. In cases where one family member’s family relationship was not as claimed, the entire family would be coded as fraudulent.

Next we are presented with that old excuse about the definition of a family in Africa implying that we must be sensitive to their cultural norms (and forget about ours!).

While some of the reported fraud was actual fraud, in some cases cultural differences played a role.  [You can read what follows yourself---ed]

Now comes the crux of the concern by Open Borders activists—they are afraid DNA testing will be required in other areas of immigration!

In September of 2010, the State Department published proposed rules that would change its procedures for processing P3 applicants, including mandatory DNA testing to prove claimed family relationships. The prospect of mandatory DNA testing is of concern to refugees themselves, refugee resettlement agencies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other human rights advocates. Moreover, the implementation of DNA testing in the refugee context may portend required DNA testing in other areas of immigration admissions.

When the United States once again begins to allow relatives of refugees to enter the country through the P3 program, DNA testing will be required. All the details are not entirely clear at this point. DNA testing brings up questions of cost, privacy, discrimination and delays, in addition to the definition of family relationship and cultural differences. Strict rules regarding the use of DNA testing are necessary.

LOL! They’ve got to get Africans in here, by hook or by crook, to vote for Democrats as we heard yesterday from Portland, Maine, here.

Send in comments, you can bet the Open Borders activists are doing the same!

As I said earlier, it’s not too late for concerned readers to comment on the new regulations published in the Federal Register on the new DNA testing requirements which we believe need to be more stringent.  Check out this post  at RRW about a Center for Immigration Studies analysis to learn more about the weaknesses in the proposed regulations.  Don’t delay because the deadline for comment is next week sometime.  The Federal Register notice was published for a 60-day comment period on September 9th.

Comment worth noting: Reader tells us we need to comment on DNA testing regulations

Update:  More on the regulations and how the Open Borders groups are not happy with DNA testing of Africans, here.

Yesterday reader Tony Lee posted this comment here on the Somali brothers food stamp scam post.

Regarding the regulation opening up “family reunification” for refugees, readers are invited to comment at the federal register website or simply by sending an e-mail to SpruellDA@state.gov (Subject line must read: DS-7656 AOR).
a week or so remains to comment.

This regulation will open a mini floodgate of fraudsters. Commentors may ask :

1. Why aren’t refugees who petition for relatives via the I-730* program being tested?

2. Why aren’t refugees who petition for relatives via non-refugee programs being tested?

3. Why must the taxpayer pay instead of the so-called “sponsors”?

4. Why is the original family unit not being tested for relationship?

federal reg is here

See this Center for Immigration Studies summary of the regulations for more ideas on what issues to raise. 

* I-730′s are visa applications for relatives of those who came as asylees.  This is a potentially huge pool of immigrants as the granting of asylum is now a flood after having been a trickle for many years.   Here is one of only a few explanations I found.  In laymen’s terms, an African (Aunt Zeituni! or any alien) who comes illegally across our border and is granted asylum can apply for relatives to follow who will, under the new regulations, not be required to supply a DNA sample.  I note in scouting around that there are lawyers ready and willing to help with the paperwork!

Portland, ME immigrants, noncitizens, say it’s only fair they should be able to vote

……and vote for Democrats!

I hope the big immigraton control groups like FAIR and NumbersUSA are on this case.  On Tuesday, November 2nd, voters in Portland, Maine will vote on whether noncitizens will be allowed to vote in local elections.

From an AP story at the Lewiston Sun Journal (where they too have a stake in the outcome as regular readers know):

PORTLAND (AP) — Like his neighbors, Claude Rwaganje pays taxes on his income and taxes on his cars. His children have gone to Portland’s public schools. He’s interested in the workings of Maine’s largest city, which he has called home for 13 years.

There’s one vital difference, though: Rwaganje isn’t a U.S. citizen and isn’t allowed to vote on those taxes or on school issues. That may soon change.

Portland residents will vote Nov. 2 on a proposal to give legal residents who are not U.S. citizens the right to vote in local elections, joining places like San Francisco and Chicago that have already loosened the rules or are considering it.

 Opponents say:  become citizens!

Opponents of the measure say immigrants already have an avenue to cast ballots — by becoming citizens. Allowing noncitizens to vote dilutes the meaning of citizenship, they say, adding that it could lead to fraud and unfairly sway elections.

Illiterate Somali says:  I want to vote for Democrats

He has been here for 18 years (since he was 22 years old), but can’t speak enough English, and hasn’t become a citizen!

The Maine League of Young Voters, which spearheaded the drive to force the question on the ballot, estimates there are 5,000 to 7,500 immigrants in Portland, roughly half of whom are not U.S. citizens. They come from more than 100 countries, with the two largest groups from Somalia and Latin America.

On a recent day in a small lunchroom at the Al-Amin Halal Market, a group of Somali men ate lunch and talked in their native language. A sign advertised the day’s offerings, including hilib ari (goat), bariis (rice) and baasto (spaghetti).

Abdirizak Daud, 40, moved to Minneapolis 18 years ago before coming to Portland in 2006. He hasn’t been able to find a job. Some of his nine children have attended Portland schools, and he’d like to have a say in who’s looking over the school system and the city, he said.

But between his limited English and the financial demands, Daud hasn’t been able to become a citizen.

“I like the Democrats. I want to vote for Democrats, but I don’t have citizenship,” he said.

As the Rolling Stones song goes, you can’t always get what you want (even in America)!  Well, at least I hope that is the case!

Endnote:  Be sure to read the comments at the Sun Journal.   As we have often noted, comments from Lewiston and Auburn are generally lively.

Canada’s American actor “refugee,” one Canadian’s opinion

This is a short follow-up to my post of last night about American actor in trouble with the law in the US, Randy Quaid, seeking refugee status in Canada.  While reading another article on the controversial issue of asylum seekers seeing Canada as their “sugar daddy,” I noted this comment from reader ‘let me tell you how it is:‘

Look at the hilarious spectacle of what American actor Randy Quaid and his wife are doing in Vancouver with claiming refugee status. This American with US arrest warrants is showing what a farce and how Canadians are such gullible suckers for any hard-luck story.

He is likely just getting free publicity for some upcoming movies he’s releasing or product he’s peddling.

Only a Canadian would take seriously this claim from an American unemployed class c actor with obvious mental health issues of paranoia.

That a IRB judge wouldn’t immediately deport him to face his US arrest warrants reveals what a farce the system is. The judge billing at $350 and hour will now have to figure out what to do with this clown and fill all the paperwork out. Meanwhile American Randy and his wife get free money and free health care for up to 2 years.

Surprise, surprise!  Not all Canadians are so “welcoming.”

Update on those Somali brothers who ran Michigan food stamp scam

I first told you about this story in August, here. 

What interests me about the news about their guilty plea a week ago is that this food stamp scam story went beyond local news outlets.   I’ve been following these cases for several years and they rarely go beyond local newspapers or local TV stations.  This story is at Business Week and I’ve seen it elsewhere as well.

Two brothers from Somalia who were accused of $400,000 in food stamp fraud and of illegally transferring money overseas from their western Michigan store pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges, prosecutors said.

Mohamed and Omar Sufi, owners of the Halal Depot store in Grand Rapids, redeemed electronic food stamps for cash and nonfood items, taking 30 percent commissions, the government said. The men were accused of taking up to 50 percent from benefits under the Women, Infants and Children programs.

Prosecutors said the brothers wired thousands of dollars through an unlicensed money transfer business known as a “hawala.” The money went to the Middle East and Africa, and the men charged a commission of 6 percent to 7 percent, prosecutors said.

The brothers deliberately kept transactions below $10,000 so that financial institutions would not file currency transactions reports to the Internal Revenue Service, the men admitted in their plea agreement.

When those Somali ‘voters’ in Columbus, Ohio whined about not being able to easily send money to Somalia, they have only their fellow Somalis to blame for restrictions.  However, I don’t know why they are complaining.  This case demonstrates it’s pretty easy for Somalis to wire money—-your tax dollars—to the rest of the world.

For new readers: We have admitted well over 100,000 Somali refugees to the US.   To check out the numbers visit this post, probably our most widely read post over the last few years.   In FY2010 which ended September 30th the US State Department resettled 4,884 Somalis (here) to towns near you.

Also, after being closed for nearly two years, the US State Department is on the verge of resuming the fraud-ridden family reunification program that admitted as many as 36,000 Somalis fraudulently to the US between 2003 and 2008.  See the latest on new regulations, here.