Posted by Ann Corcoran on October 8, 2015
Because it is just me here (no staff, no interns), I’m going a bit crazy trying to keep up with your e-mail and phone requests. So, I decided to put a little time into listing the usual questions I get and put answers here (in one place).
(There is no particular order to the following frequently asked questions):
How do I find out if my town is targeted?
You won’t get much of a warning. If you hear a rumor (like the Idaho one we posted here), follow it up (and let us know!). Also be sure to see this map, click here, and this handy list, click here. If you are within a hundred miles of any of those resettlement offices, your town is fair game. The legend on the map lists abbreviations of the nine major federal resettlement agencies. BTW, they are running out of ‘welcoming’ places to resettle refugees so they are out scouting for fresh territory.
Who are the nine federal resettlement agencies choosing sites for refugee resettlement?
The nine VOLAGs are listed here. VOLAG stands for Voluntary Agencies which is a joke because they are largely paid by the US taxpayer to do the resettlement.
What do I need to know if I do learn that refugees are planned for my town?
See this post we wrote some months ago, ‘Ten things your town needs to know.’
Where do I start to learn how the Refugee Admissions Program works?
Start with our fact sheet (sorry it is two years old, we need to work on updating it, but it is still useful). I find the Annual Reports to Congress very very useful. We also have a category with hundreds of posts in it entitled, ‘where to find information.’ Serious students of refugee resettlement should periodically scroll through it.
Also, I urge you to just follow my blog postings for awhile and you will learn as you go. I try hard to link back to previous information every day.
You are always talking about doing data base research, where do I do that?
Go to the Refugee Processing Center, here and/or here and just play around with the data bases available. I can’t explain exactly how to pull up all the information, but you will figure it out if you spend a little time exploring them.
I need information on ______, what do you know about it?
We have a very good search function here at this wordpress blog. Please type a few key words into our search window in the upper left hand corner. Since we are now over 7,000 posts, I use it all the time to see what I know about a certain subject or resettlement location. Please search here at RRW. LOL! You probably will find plenty of information faster than e-mailing me with your question!
How do I find a ‘Pocket of Resistance’ near me?
Contact Jim Simpson, resettlementresister@gmail.com. Learn more about Jim here.
How do I get your book?
You can purchase it on Amazon, or go here to the Center for Security Policy where there is a free version to download.
Would you sign me up to get your post notifications?
WordPress doesn’t allow me to sign you up. You need to follow directions to subscribe. Or, if you want to see everything I post on your twitter feed, follow me on twitter. I also have a facebook page but with the help of Kelly we post some other things there, and not all of my RRW posts. If you don’t want your inbox filled with notifications, just visit RRW daily and scroll back through what I’ve posted during the day.
Do you take donations?
No, this is my charitable work. I do not make money writing this blog. I may explore putting some advertisements on RRW in the future, but I’m usually too busy to research what I need to do to make that happen.
Can I interview you on my radio show?
I do some radio interviews, but honestly I think I am missing requests (and do apologize), but it is because my e-mail inbox is so full I miss them. Please put very clearly in the subject line something like: ‘MEDIA REQUEST’. That goes for reporters too wanting interviews or questions answered.
If you have sent me a media request and have not heard back, please resend with ‘MEDIA REQUEST’ clearly in the subject line.
Will you speak to my group in _____?
I have been to lots of places this year to speak and have met some very wonderful people (South Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Tennessee), but honestly I am not a speaker and it is very stressful to travel and speak. And, when I travel I don’t get much blogging done, which I think is more important for the overall cause. So I am not planning on taking any more trips (other than those I previously committed to that are fairly close to home).
If you contact me, I will be giving you the names of a couple of people knowledgeable about the Refugee Admissions Program that might be willing to travel (but be prepared to pay expenses and an honorarium, we don’t have the money in our movement as the other side has!).
Oh, and I am doing a couple of skype meetings coming up soon.
That is all for now. Again, sorry I can’t get to all of your e-mails (at least a hundred a day). I hope this helps. I’ll be re-posting it from time to time, or adding new information as needed.
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