comment by Jerry Gordon

Ann Corcoran, our ally at Refugee Resettlement Watch, sent us this story about how the UNHCR controls the spigot about who gets into the US with the unwitting consent of our State Department. In this RRW blog post, she notes that African illegal aliens are making for the Mediterranean island Republic of Malta. There the UNHCR screens cases, commiserates with our US Ambassador, and with a wink and a nod from the Maltese Deputy Prime Minister 15 Somalis become qualified refugees to enter the US without so much as a bye your leave to be supported by US taxpayers. This story underlines why we and RRW have argued for a complete review and overhaul of the Refugee Act of 1980 and a GAO audit of the US refugee program. A refugee program maladministered by the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration at our State Department, the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the US Department of Health and Human Services and those voluntary agencies or VOLAGs feeding at the $1 billion annual trough appropriated by our Congress. In answer to Corcoran’s question. yes, we are crazy to let this travesty go on unabated.

by Ann Corcoran, Refugee Resettlement Watch, April 30, 2008

Many months ago I wrote that we were going to take refugees from the Mediterranean island of Malta—simply to do a good deed. These are not refugees! They are African illegal aliens who have broken into Malta because the boats they were using to get to the mainland of Europe could not reach their destination. Here is an update— we are taking them.

This would be like us sending our illegal aliens from Mexico off to Malta.

To date, the UNHCR is continuing the screening process and has referred more than 260 cases which are now in process. A group of 15 Somalian refugees are departing from Malta for the United States tomorrow, and in the next few weeks, another group of refugees will be embarking on their journey to resettle in the U.S.

Ambassador Bordonaro observed that all refugees are assigned a sponsor agency that provides initial services such as housing, food, and clothing, as well as referral to medical care, employment services, and other support during a transition period lasting up to two years in order to ensure integration and assimilation. “I have personally met many of the refugees who are part of the programme,” Ambassador Bordonaro said, “and they will make outstanding U.S. citizens.”

Our ambassador actually thinks this is a great idea. “Outstanding citizens!” I guess she hasn’t been in touch with Shelbyville, TN or Emporia, KS recently.

And, of course the officials in Malta are tickled pink that because we understand the illegal alien issue so well we are happy to take theirs.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tonio Borg noted that this process, which commenced a year ago, is a clear declaration that the United States does understand the illegal immigration problem which is being faced by Malta. “This is a continuous process that should lead towards having hundreds of people to be resettled in the United States. This is a sign of friendship between two countries whereby the United States is clearly helping out Malta.”

Silly question I guess, but doesn’t all this actually encourage more Africans to take boats to Malta?

Update: Can you believe it! The morning after I wrote this post the Times of Malta is reporting 3 new boats arriving this week! Did Ambassador Bordonaro run down to the shore to greet them?

And yet another Update moments later: Here is another glowing article about the so-called “refugees” going to the promised land.

Asked whether the resettlement of refugees in the US could bring more asylum seekers to Malta, Dr Borg [Malta’s Foreign Affairs minister] said he did not think the numbers would increase because of this possibility. He added that this was a convenient argument that some countries put forward to avoid burden sharing.

I wonder did Dr. Borg not know about the three boats just landed this week? And, I wonder which part of our “burden” is he sharing.

Here is another post on the spring migration from Africa to Europe.