Tuesday, April 7, 2015

RR Watch - Ann Corcoran: Nine major federal resettlement contractors are choosing which towns get refugees; citizens kept in the dark - If community "resources" are so important, shouldn't refugees be sent to places like Manhattan, Aspen and Beverly Hills? --tma

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 Nine major federal resettlement contractors are choosing which towns get refugees; citizens kept in the dark
People ask me all the time, who is targeting our towns? 

Frankly, it is the nine major federal contractors (not accountable to the US taxpayer!)*** contracted by the US State Department as you can see fromthis page at the US State Department website. (Emphasis is mine)

Have a look at Key Indicators for Resettlement “Stakeholders.” This one has FY2014 on the cover but they say it is for FY2015 (I haven’t seen the newest one yet). When the federal govt. and its contractors began to run into ‘pockets of resistance’ they instituted this planning process to try to figure out which states had the best goodies for refugees, so you might find it useful. For example if your state expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, you are a more likely target than a state that didn’t!
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/news/key-indicators-for-refugee-placement-fy2015-report-released
US State Department:

Planning for Refugees’ Arrival in the United States
The Department of State works with nine domestic resettlement agencies that have proven knowledge and resources to resettle refugees. Every week, representatives of each of these nine agencies meet to review the biographic information and other case records sent by the overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSC) to determine where a refugee will be resettled in the United States. During this meeting, the resettlement agencies match the particular needs of each incoming refugee with the specific resources available in a local community. If a refugee has relatives in the United States, he or she is likely to be resettled near or with them. Otherwise, the resettlement agency that agrees to sponsor the case decides on the best match between a community’s resources and the refugee’s needs.
Information about the sponsoring agency is communicated back to the originating RSC, which then works with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to transport the refugee to his or her new home. The cost of refugee transportation is provided as a loan, which refugees are required to begin repaying after they are established in the United States.
Once in the United States
The Department of State has cooperative agreements with nine domestic resettlement agencies to resettle refugees. While some of the agencies have religious affiliations, they are not allowed to proselytize. The standard cooperative agreement between the Department of State and each of the domestic resettlement agencies specifies the services that the agency must provide to each refugee.All together, the nine domestic resettlement agencies place refugees in about 190 communities throughout the United States. Each agency headquarters maintains contact with its local affiliated agencies to monitor the resources (e.g., interpreters who speak various languages, the size and special features of available housing, the availability of schools with special services, medical care, English classes, employment services, etc.) that each affiliate’s community can offer.
Key points of this brief description:
1) The NON-Governmental resettlement contractors meet every week to talk about who is going where in the US depending on what resources your town has to offer.
2) Refugees must repay travel loans, however what they don’t tell you is that the contractor gives refugees dunning notices and then gets to keep 25% of the money (your tax dollars) they collect.  So we often see as much as $2-3 million additional income the contractor pockets from collecting these loans.
3) The sub-contractors (aka affiliates) in 190 towns and cities are monitoring the resources your town has and filtering that information back to the nine major contractors.  So why can’t they share that information with you—the citizens of the town?   Wouldn't you like to know the availability of places in the school system for children who don’t speak English, availability of housing, what health care opportunities exist in YOUR town? Etc.  How about an impact statement prepared by the contractor and feds and available for public review in your town?
About the Key Indicators:  The feds and the contractors hold quarterly “placement consultation meetings.”  I have written and asked to be informed of the location of upcoming ones, but have never had my request answered.   Also, check the section on “secondary migration” which is when refugees settled in one state pick up and move to another, mostly to be with their own kind of people.  Top state for secondary migration is Minnesota.
This post is filed in our category ‘where to find information,’ here.
***Nine major federal contractors which like to call themselves VOLAGs (Voluntary agencies) which is such a joke considering how much federal money they receive:
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