Rev. Debbie Ingram, executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action, credited Gov. Peter Shumlin for taking the “courageous and compassionate” stance that Vermont should welcome refugees from the war-torn country. “Also,” she continued, “we have come to speak out against those in Vermont who would not applaud and support Governor Shumlin’s decision.”
In the wake of the terror attacks that killed 129 people in Paris, both Republican candidates for governor have said Vermont should temporarily refrain from accepting Syrian refugees until the federal government can prove the rigor of its vetting process. Nationwide, at least 28 governors have made similar calls, and on Thursday, the U.S. House passed a tougher screening process for Syrian refugees. The White House has said President Obama will veto it if the Senate follows suit.
A Syrian passport found after the attacks ignited concerns about refugee screening. Vermont doesn’t currently have any Syrian refugees, but officials expect some will arrive during the coming year.
Before the event, Amila Merdzanovic, field office director for the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, told reporters that it typically takes 1,000 days for the United States to process a refugee. Her point: The process is already plenty rigorous. “I keep saying this. I’ve said it more times than you can imagine,” said Merdzanovic, who came to Vermont in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Yacouba Jacob Bogre, executive director of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, which serves the state’s New American population, condemned the attacks in Paris before arguing that “they should not be taken as an excuse to prevent other people from rebuilding their lives safely.”
The organizers of Thursday’s press conference are also planning rallies today and Saturday on the Statehouse lawn in response to a rally against accepting Syrian refugees.
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Even if we have a vetting process that is, no pun, bullet proof, who picks up the tab?
There is the cost in terms of American resources to vett and process. Then there are the long term costs associated with resettled refugees.
The Center for Immigration Studies just released a new report on refugee welfare, compiled from statistics from Obama’s own Office of Refugee Resettlement.
According to the report, 91 percent of Middle East refugees are on food stamps, 73 percent on Medicaid, 37 percent on TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), 19 percent on Section 8, 20 on WIC vouchers, 20 percent get free school lunches and 32 percent are collecting SSI.
So the good news is, not all the Syrian refugees are potential terrorists. The bad news is, the vast majority of them will be leeching off us. And guess what – according to a report by the Congressional Research Services, in 2013 only 11 percent of “refugees” who have been living large here for more than five years were getting coverage through their employers. Because, most likely, they don’t have employers. They’re still on welfare.
The finances of VT and especially the USA are in a shambles. Huge debt and deficits will eventually create a huge crash. Then the real shit hits the fan.
What about our own unmet needs? Are some folks driven to causes like this because they are desperately searching for meaning in their own lives? This matter requires much more planning before we move forward, in a typical DC and Montpelier half assed fashion!
We pick up the tab, and I’m happy to do so. Our finances aren’t in shambles because of refugees – it’s because Republicans are fond of cutting taxes on those who most need to pay them: corporations and the very wealthy people who already benefit from those corporations.
On the other hand, an influx of immigrants often helps to fuel economic growth, because they bring new ideas and skills to a population. I for one would find Burlington boring and would be less likely to live here if we didn’t have the various new immigrant populations here that we do–and most of these folks were introduced through the Refugee Resettlement program.
So yes, we pick up the initial tab, and we are payed back with interest.
Well, I presented facts and Amberh, you present feelings. I’d really like to say “what the hell”, bring em on, but your views are bankrupting this country.
Please support your views with facts. Then we can debate this important matter.