Arab Spring leaves refugees on the Libyan/Egyptian border—US picks up the pieces

Told you so!   We would join the coalition of European nations which took on Gaddafi (Qadhafi) in Libya and our reward would be—you guessed it!—we get the refugees!

Here is an article that gives you a window into a process on-going as a result of that joyous Arab spring.  Immigrants who want to escape Libya and are not allowed into Egypt are stuck at a border crossing called Sallum where the UN and our Dept. of Homeland Security are sorting through them to see which ones we get to bring to America!

From AllAfrica:

Sallum, Egypt — Andrew Mok, computer open in front of him, faced the Sudanese man across the table in a converted freight container and began the interview.

“Please do not make any false statements because that could have a negative impact on your application,” the 23-year-old from Hong Kong informed the man, who was bidding to be recognized as a refugee. “Everything you tell UNHCR will be strictly confidential,” he added, reassuringly.

Refugee status determination (RSD) is a vital part of UNHCR’s daily protection work and the above scene is replicated every day in UNHCR operations around the world.

But there is a difference at Sallum because those being interviewed are stuck at a busy border crossing, unable or unwilling to go home or back to Libya, and not allowed to go further inside Egypt. There are around 2,000 people left from the 40,000 third country nationals who fled to Sallum to escape last year’s conflict in Libya, most of whom were allowed to transit Egypt.

UN Heavily dependent on the US for resettlement!

While the RSD process is almost over, it will take many more months before all of those referred for resettlement finally get to leave for their new homes. That’s partly because “only six resettlement countries have taken cases from Sallum,” said Heidi Boener. “We are heavily dependent on the United States,” added the resettlement officer.

The article doesn’t make it clear who exactly Miss Heidi works for, but in 2008, here, she worked for International Catholic Migration Commission*.  We learn from this report that she preps the prospective “refugees” on the kinds of questions they will get from Homeland Security…hmmmm!    You know it is very important that they keep their stories straight!

As Mok continued with his questions, Boener stood in a nearby building and addressed about 30 registered refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia who were due to be interviewed over a two-week period by officials from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She took them through the kinds of questions they would face, including queries about their family history and why they cannot return to their country of origin.

Boener said more than 1,400 people had been referred to the US for resettlement and the visiting DHS staff planned to meet a first group of about 250 for a so-called first circuit interview, with plans to return about every three months to talk to a similar number each time. After interviews, and if they are conditionally approved, they will undergo security background checks and medical screening before final approval and authorization to fly to America.

To hear Obama tell it, we were dragged into the Libyan war so that we might help a coalition of nations—France, Britain, Canada and Italy.  So, after paying for the lions share of the war’s cost, the US takes the lions share of “refugees” while Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden take a few.   According to this account, guess who isn’t helping—-the greatest beneficiaries of that Libyan oil—France, Britain, and Italy.

More Africans on the way to your town!

* Just when you think you have seen them all, along comes another NGO living on the US taxpayer’s dime.  Here the International Catholic Migration Commission gets half of its funding from you.  And, it is so funny, you never see the ACLU go after these non-profits on the separation of church and state issue.

Canada: Tamil Tigers on board the MV Sun Sea; Tigers in Oakland?

So what else did you expect!

I should be writing about yesterday’s State Department meeting where federal contractors made their pitches for more refugees for FY2013 and I will get to that shortly (I hope), but to add a little variety to our stories about bureaucracy in Washington, I’m posting this update of a story I wrote about back in 2010—Sri Lankans loaded on ships and taken to Canada by human smugglers, here.  Canadian immigration officials are sorting through the nearly 500 illegal entrants from this one ship to sort out the terrorist Tigers from legitimate asylum seekers.

By the way, here is a little Tiger trivia:   Tamil Tigers are famous for pioneering the use of the suicide belt.

From the National Post:

Deportation orders have been issued against two more of the 492 Sri Lankan refugee claimants who arrived off the B.C. coast in 2010 aboard the smuggling ship MV Sun Sea.

In separate decisions, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada ordered the expulsion of both men, ruling one had engaged in people smuggling and the other had been a member of a Tamil rebel group.

The cases bring to 19 the number of Sun Sea migrants who have been issued deportation orders to date. All have been declared inadmissible to Canada due to their involvement in terrorism and crime.

“Canada opens its doors to those who work hard and play by the rules. However, we must crack down on those who seek to take advantage of our generosity, often for financial gain,” Julie Carmichael, spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said Tuesday.

Neither of the latest deportees was named in the heavily edited rulings released to the National Post, but one was found to have served in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam between 2005 and 2006, when he was in his mid-20s.

Read the whole article, there is lots of interesting information about trafficking and what it costs and who is making a fortune from it.  Makes me wonder again who is trafficking Somalis into the US.

Sri Lankans to Oakland!

This reminds me that the US State Department and the International Rescue Committee helped Australia with a little illegal immigration problem of theirs by taking illegal alien Sri Lankans off the Australians hands in 2010 and placing them in Oakland, CA.   Here is the story I wrote nearly two years ago.   And, this is a point I made in my testimony to the State Department—Congress should forbid the use of this program for other foreign policy objectives.

Just a reminder that the International Rescue Committee’s Anne Richard has been confirmed as Obama’s pick to head the State Department refugee program.  Another contractor is now in charge of doling out the federal bucks (your bucks!).  She started her work this week by traveling to Switzerland, Iraq and Jordan.

Somali guilty in Maine: Home healthcare fraud AND immigration fraud

I am convinced that somewhere in Africa they teach fraud school!  And, this guy was awarded a Masters Degree!

We first told you about the arrest of Mohdi Ali aka Mahdi Alio in 2009, here.  I had a laugh at the time that the entire article never mentioned the words Somali or Somalia as some in Lewiston were unhappy (and still are) that Somali “refugees” and illegal aliens have targeted their town.  So, the article left readers guessing about where Ali came from.

Nearly three years later, Ali is found guilty.   From the Sun Journal (where this time the word Somalia is in the first line):

A Somalia native who lied about living in refugee camps to enter the U.S. and made false claims to obtain MaineCare benefits faces up to 15 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines.

Mohdi M. Ali, 56, of Lewiston, also known as Canadian resident Mahdi Alio, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Portland to fraudulently obtaining an alien registration card, making false statements in connection with a health care benefit program and using a Social Security number obtained on the basis of false information.

Oh looky here, Canada will get him back after he gets out of prison!  Lucky Canada!

Ali faces up to 10 years in prison on the immigration charge and five years for false statements and Social Security charges. As part of his plea agreement, Ali agreed to be removed to Canada after completing any prison term imposed.

Think about this!  No one in our immigration system figured any of this out before granting him asylum in the US!

According to information released by U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II, Ali came to the United States from Somalia in 1990 to attend college [At age 34?---ed].  He later moved to Canada, where he became a Canadian citizen in 1995. He returned to the United States three years later, where he applied for and was granted asylum. He was later granted permanent resident alien status after falsely claiming to have lived in refugee camps in Kenya from 1992 to 1998.

He ripped-off MaineCare to the tune of a million bucks in one year (but his fine could be $500,000)!  Wonder where the money went?  I bet he had one of those money transfer operations to Africa in the back room!

In 2009, federal agents raided Ali’s downtown Lewiston business, Decent Home Care Inc. Ali was owner and president of the company, which provided nonmedical, health care-related services to disabled people. At the time, Ali told the Sun Journal the business served between 35 and 40 clients.

A Sun Journal investigation later revealed that Decent Home Care Inc. received more than $1 million in payments from the state in 2008 to provide nonmedical services to the elderly and disabled. The company was paid to deliver in-home services to 45 clients under the state’s Medicaid program, known as MaineCare, meaning it spent an estimated $22,222 per client that year.

There is more, read on.

For new readers, we have dozens of posts on Lewiston.  Just type the word into our search function.

Canada: Diversity is beautiful alert—how-to book on wife beating

I’m not singling out Canada, we probably have this book available in the US as well.  Funny, I don’t see Sandra give-us-free-birth control Fluke and the “women of the 99%” speaking out about Muslim misogyny.  Why? This is why: (Click here).

From the Toronto Sun:

The 160-page book, published by Idara Impex in New Delhi, India, is written by Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who’s described in the book’s foreword as a “prolific writer on almost every topic of Islamic learning.”

The store’s manager, who didn’t give his name, said the book had been sold out for some time, and the store’s owner, whom the manager identified as Shamim Ahmad, refused to comment for the story.

It wasn’t clear whether the shop has ordered more copies of the book, but it’s available at online Islamic bookstores and even through eBay.

In the book’s opening pages, it is written that “it might be necessary to restrain her with strength or even to threaten her.”

Later, its author advises that “the husband should treat the wife with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes.”

Page 45 contains the rights of the husband, which include his wife’s inability to leave “his house without his permission,” and that his wife must “fulfil his desires” and “not allow herself to be untidy … but should beautify herself for him … ”

In terms of physical punishment, the book advises that a husband may scold her, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears,” but should “refrain from beating her excessively.”

Moderate Muslim voice Tarek Fatah says the shopkeeper should be charged for selling such a book.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hate, but it is inciting men to hit women,” said Fatah, who identified the book’s author as a prominent Islamic scholar. “This is new to you, but the Muslim community knows that this is widespread, that a woman can be beaten. Muslim leaders will deny this, but… ”

Male dominance over women has been making headlines for some time, with the recent lengthy trial and conviction of the Shafia family.

Read on, if you don’t know about the Shafia family honor murder.

Does Canada have more criminal refugees then the US?

Or, is Canada’s legal system more willing to go after them and is the Canadian media better than US media about reporting cases like this one?

Here is the latest from the Toronto Sun on a crime ring involving “refugees” from Hungary.  This guy is convicted of trafficking humans and ripping off the welfare system.

Attila Kolompar sat in the prisoner’s box and never looked at the two young men he was convicted of keeping virtual slaves working at his contracting firm.

And Assistant Crown Attorney Anthony Skarica spared nothing when he described Kolompar — clad in prison orange overalls and a black leather jacket — as a member of a crime group that spearheaded an “invasion of evil” that breached Canada’s borders and threatens its financial stability.

Go to the full story to learn more about what he did.

Now, check this out, can any of you imagine a US news outlet reporting in this way? I can’t even imagine a US prosecutor using this kind of language! (Emphasis mine)

Superior Court Judge Stephen Glithero allowed Kolompar to get early parole, but only to be deported to Hungary.

“Canadians have certainly been badly abused by this man,” Glithero said in his sentencing of the man considered to be a mid-level player in the crime family. “If deported, one hopes he never makes his way back.”

Skarica described the Domotor family crime group, which originated from Papa, Hungary, as an entire criminal organization that came to Canada and applied for refugee status shortly after the country eased visa requirements in 2008.

The crime group “set up shop and operated unmolested,” Skarica told Glithero.

“This invasion of evil is part of an invasion of bogus refugees” that threatens the financial well-being of our governments, he said.

He suggested to the court, if totalled, bogus refugees’ claims must cost Canada billions.

* We have written a lot about Canada, go here, for our complete archive.  I just scanned a few posts I’ve written about Canada in recent months and many are about criminal refugees north of the border.

Fargo, ND: “Canadian” gets 18 years for major credit card scam

When I saw that title (or a similar one) about this story, I knew before reading further that it wouldn’t be somebody named Smith or Jones (or whatever the Canadian version is of ‘everyman’).  The convicted thief is Adekunle Adetiloye, a Nigerian who became a  Canadian citizen (although maybe he faked a passport too!).

I don’t know if he is a refugee originally granted asylum in Canada or what, but I do know that I had to laugh when I saw that the word ‘Nigerian’ was eliminated the second time it was mentioned in one mainstream media version of the story.

Here is USA Today on the story (one of the largest bank heists in US history!):

FARGO, N.D. – He was unemployed and receiving welfare, but Adekunle Adetiloye was somehow living lavishly, complete with a Range Rover, extended trips to England and an expensive condominium.

That alone piqued authorities’ interest, but then there were two credit cards tucked away in his wallet that seemed to confirm suspicions that Adetiloye, a Nigerian-born Canadian citizen, was up to something nefarious. The cards each bore different names — Donald Douglas and Vincent Andriole — and helped authorities prosecute a case they describe as one of the largest high-tech bank robberies in U.S. history.  [the 'N-word' is here---ed].

“Characterizing this fraud scheme as massive, if anything, is an understatement,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Chase of North Dakota said in court documents.

Adetiloye, 30, was sentenced Monday to nearly 18 years in prison on fraud charges. He was convicted of mail fraud, but authorities believe he masterminded a scheme to open nearly 600 fraudulent bank accounts and bilk 22 major banks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Federal prosecutor Nick Chase said during the sentencing hearing in North Dakota that Adetiloye had an “insatiable hunger for other people’s money.”

Gee, that seems to apply to a lot of people these days—insatiable hunger for other people’s money!

Here is the paragraph at USA Today that I want you to look at:

Defense attorney Richard Henderson had asked for a sentence of fewer than 16 years. Henderson said any prison time for his client is more difficult than it would be for American citizens because he has no family in the United States.

Now, here is the same paragraph as originally written by AP and posted at Canadian Immigration Report where the reporter apparently wanted readers to not miss the fact that he was a Nigerian (not a native Canadian) by mentioning that fact twice.

Defence lawyer Richard Henderson had asked for a sentence of fewer than 16 years. Henderson said any prison time for his client, a native of Nigeria, is more difficult than it would be for American citizens because he has no family in the United States.

The phrase—a native of Nigeria—has been removed from the USA Today story (although it is mentioned once in the story).

And, by the way, why should anyone worry about this crook getting a lesser sentence then an American citizen just because he has no family in the US.  He surely wasn’t thinking about that when he was ruining the financial lives of hundreds of Americans.

With all the unrest in Nigeria (Muslims killing Christians), look for us to open up refugee resettlement from that country next!

If any of our Canadian readers know more about this guy, please comment.  It’s highly likely he wasn’t even a Canadian citizen, and Canada shouldn’t be the bad guy to all the American readers who skim only headlines and never read further.

Endnote:  As I have said many times, someone should write a blog just about fraud schemes by immigrants.  The food stamp fraud is especially egregious and the mainstream media is too squishy to report on it in any thorough way.

Canada says NO! to Hungarian criminals seeking refugee status

We don’t often hear of Hungarian Roma people seeking refuge, but they do. And, below is a story out of Ontario, Canada about a couple who scammed the welfare system in Hamilton and will be deported.

From the Hamilton Spectator:

The public needs to be aware of flaws in Canada’s refugee and welfare systems that allowed a group of Hungarian Roma criminals to live in Hamilton and get paid for it, says the lead prosecutor of an ongoing human trafficking case.

“Disgusting, stunning, shocking, I just don’t have the words to describe,” assistant Crown attorney Toni Skarica said in court.

He made the statement during a court appearance for Viktoria Nemes, the 45-year-old wife and mother of accused human traffickers. She pleaded guilty Friday to welfare fraud.

She has been in custody since early December and will be deported this month.

Nemes came to Hamilton, from Hungary, in December 2008 and soon after misled authorities into believing she and her husband had separated and that she was a single mom, court heard.

In total, she and her husband are believed to have defrauded the City of Hamilton out of nearly $50,000.

“We lost $50,000 paying criminals,” Skarica said.

But Nemes’ case is about a much larger issue, he added.

The “bizarre” criminal justice system in Hungary allows a person who has been found guilty of a crime to return home, before returning to jail, he said, adding that this “is almost designed for criminals to flee somewhere else.”

That is just what Nemes did.

There is more, read it all.

German arsonist denied refugee status in Canada before getting into US

The “German” arsonist arrested in the recent Los Angeles crime spree had previously been denied refugee status in Canada.  Here is the story from the Montreal Gazette:

The mother of a former Vancouver man facing charges in the U.S. for a multi-million-dollar arson spree at one time pleaded to Canadian immigration officials to allow her and her son to stay in this country.

Harry Burkhart, 24, was charged Wednesday with 37 counts of arson for deliberately setting at least 50 fires, torching cars, garages and homes in Los Angeles and reportedly causing about $3 million in damages.

Burkhart was arrested during a routine traffic stop while driving a minivan with British Columbia licence plates.

The story of how Dorothee Burkhart and her son ended up in L.A. begins with their arrival in Canada in September 2007.

According to Federal Court documents obtained by Postmedia News, the two fled Germany and applied for refugee status in Canada, claiming they feared they would be imprisoned, tortured and killed if they were sent back to their home country.

[....]

During the hearing, the minister of citizenship and immigration intervened. The minister requested Dorothee Burkhart be barred from refugee protection as she had committed a serious crime in Germany.

The refugee claim was denied in late 2009 and, upon review of the application in May 2010, the Federal Court agreed.

Then the question becomes—how the h*** did they get into the US?

Surely with a legal decision against them in Canada as recently as 2010, they should have been easily detected by ICE.

Blogger Debbie Schlussel asks the same question and then tells us more, here, about the Chechen-born Burkhart and his mama.

The mother of Harry Burkhart, the man who set several dozen arson fires in Hollywood last week, is exactly the kind of person who doesn’t belong in America and should be deported. And, after you read about both mother and son, you’ll wonder how either of them were able to get into the U.S. Well, we know how the son got on: a lax visa system, in which Customs and Border Protection and State Department employees use little scrutiny or time, before rushing through the rubber stamping of the golden ticket into the U.S., as I’ve been writing about for years, and as internal Homeland Security documents confirmed, earlier this week. Oh, and by the way, Burkhart was born in Muslim Chechnya. Hmmm . . . (Don’t worry, though. In the Hollywood movie, he’ll be a Christian from Texas.)

Read it all.

Canada set to deport alleged war criminal

The former refugee to Canada is scheduled to be deported January 12th.  Last minute appeals hinge on whether he will get a fair trial in Rwanda.

From CBC News:

A man accused of playing a role in the Rwandan genocide could be deported next week unless he convinces Canadian officials he won’t receive a fair trial at home.

Leon Mugesera has lived in Quebec since 1993 and was granted permanent resident status.

However, in 1995 the Canadian government learned of allegations that Mugesera gave a speech three years earlier at a political meeting in Rwanda, inciting party militants to kill Tutsis. According to court documents, killings took place the next day.

Mugesera’s name appears on a list prepared by the American State Department of those implicated in the genocide in Rwanda.

He has been fighting and delaying orders for his deportation for more than 15 years.

In early December, Canada’s Immigration Ministry handed down an 80-page decision that stated Mugesera’s life would not be in danger if he was returned to his home country to stand trial.

His lawyer is arguing that as long as he doesn’t do anything bad in Canada, as a refugee, he should get to stay.

As a refugee, she said, her client shouldn’t be deported unless he has been convicted of a crime and is deemed a threat to the host country.

Does that mean that any fugitive Islamic terrorist who happens to get into Canada as a refugee, can stay as long as he eschews his former terrorist ways—-for how long?    Until he does his next terror act?

Welcoming Communities Initiative uses Shelbyville propaganda film

….and gives tips on how to use the media to “change the conversation” in “communities” overloaded with immigrants.

Here a Canadian group reports on a conference held in October in Seattle.

The Fourth Annual U.S. National Immigrant Integration Conference took place in Seattle,Washington from October 24 to 26, 2011. The conference brought together policy-makers, practitioners, researchers, elected officials, government employees, business representatives, and faith communities for three days of dialogue. Keen to benefit from the discussion, the Welcoming Communities Initiative participated in a number of conference sessions. In the weeks that follow, we will share some of the key findings and best practices from the conference. This article is the first in the series and puts the spotlight on a session entitled, “A Buzz for Welcoming: Using New and Traditional Media to Change the Conversation.”

Here we go again with that deceptive Shelbyville film.

The second, Welcome to Shelbyville, looks at a small American town as it adjusts to a growing Latino population and the influx of refugees from Somalia. The project is based on a film and a set of companion activities, including a series of YouTube videos, discussion guides, and training modules. You can learn more here.

Longtime readers know that we chronicled the creation of that film from the earliest days in Shelbyville and have reported that the film is a prime example of how editing with a certain goal in mind becomes propaganda.  One post from a year ago is here.  But, check out our whole archive on the film here.

The article does give us ten tips for manipulating the media that are useful:

Top 10 Tips for Engaging the Media

*Change cannot be a “one off.” Activities must be linked, integrated, and ongoing. For example, Welcome to Shelbyville advanced the notion of an “ecosystem of change” that included funding, research, leadership, grassroots organizing, policy, and philanthropy. These pieces fit together, as did their strategies and products; nothing was stand-alone.

*The focus must remain on the community. Communication strategies must be place-based in order to resonate emotionally with their audience. The emphasis must be on why activities matter to the community. If videos or projects with a more national or regional focus are produced, local screenings and discussion groups should be organized to involve the community.

*Multiple channels are needed to reach multiple audiences. These include having an active website and a Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube presence. Short, punchy video clips and small news articles can be forwarded, shared, and “liked.” People are more likely to pay attention to items that come from their friends.

*Traditional media can be engaged by simplifying their work. In place of simply sending out media advisories about activities and events, the media should be provided with professional copy and ready-made clips and images that can be printed or aired. This meets the need for interesting stories about people in the community.

*Communities have a voice. Supporters and contacts can be encouraged to submit op-ed pieces or write letters to the editor about community activities and the contribution that newcomers are making to the community. This helps spread the message and builds connections with the mainstream media.

*Stories matter. Though facts and data are essential, stories will be remembered more easily and powerfully. Stories engage receiving communities and show them the diversity of the immigrant experience.

*Media engagement is possible even with limited resources. Communities should use the skills and resources of their network and supporters. Supporters can help make films, serve as actors in public service announcements, and call on their contacts in traditional media.

*Communities should find ways to identify their supporters. At a minimum, communities should develop electronic distribution lists, but they can also employ more creative techniques. For example, Uniting North Carolina had supporters sign an online pledge to support immigrant integration; they were then added to the organization’s email list and now receive all communications.  

*Communities should take advantage of the power of leveraging. Communities should create engaging, fun content that supporters can disseminate to others.

*Communities should not forget the “and then what?” question. Engaging local communities in immigrant integration is a long-term project. Videos, news clippings, and radio ads all have a shelf life. To go from story-telling to action, it is necessary to bring together groups, not just to listen and learn but to work together to welcome newcomers.