The refugee crisis is placing great strain

[barryqwalsh]

The refugee crisis is placing great strain on German politics because the notion that Germany will receive every migrant who wants to travel from the Middle East is beginning to scare the average German. Taxi drivers here, mainly from Turkey, claim that right now it's not a problem, but it may well become one if the numbers continue to rise.

This is happening at a time when the German stock market has fallen by 30pc from its peak because of worries about the global economy and global demand. Germany is the world's best exporter and therefore it has most to lose from a global slump. Add to this the Volkswagen debacle that has undermined the 'Made in Germany' brand for quality and honesty.


As Germany feels the strain, Ireland must learn to think without aid from Brussels - Independent.ie

 

[waltky]

A true patriot...

Rep. Collins: Speeding Up Syrian Refugee Applications Is ‘A Threat to Our National Security’
April 13, 2016 – The Obama administration’s fast-tracking of Syrian refugee applications is “a threat to our national security,” Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) said on Tuesday.

Collins was responding to reports that processing time for Syrian refugee applications has been cut to three months – down from the standard 18-24 months – as part of a “surge” aimed at reaching President Obama’s target of admitting 10,000 in fiscal year 2016. “Accelerating the timeline to admit and resettle refugees from countries that are hotbeds of terrorism is a threat to our national security,” he said in a statement. “Despite serious risks, the Obama administration decided being politically correct is more important than the safety of the American people.” “Abruptly dropping the amount of time it will take to vet people raises serious concerns that there will be a less comprehensive process that will not screen out those seeking to take advantage of our system.” Collins said in the light of recent terrorist attacks in Brussels and elsewhere, the U.S. needs to be more cautious than ever. “Now is not the time to make our vetting process less secure by rushing decisions.”

With less than six months of FY 2016 to go, fewer than 14 percent of the 10,000 Syrian refugees have been admitted. Against that background, the State Department launched a three-month “surge” operation in Amman, Jordan on February 1, according to U.S. Ambassador Alice Wells. Running through April 28, the program aims to achieve “President Obama’s directive to send 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States by September 30, 2016, while also ensuring that every refugee accepted by the United States has been thoroughly screened and vetted through our rigorous security process,” Wells told journalists last week. Regional refugee coordinator Gina Kassem said officials in Amman were interviewing 600 applicants a day, and that the resettlement process has been reduced from the standard 18-24 months, to three months.

In response to queries about the significant time reduction, a State Department official rejected the notion that security screening would be compromised. “All applicants will still be subject to the same stringent security and medical requirements that apply to all applicants for U.S. refugee resettlement,” the official told CNSNews.com. “All other necessary procedures will remain unchanged.” “While this surge and other efforts will decrease the overall processing time for individual families, the average processing time worldwide remains 18-24 months,” the official said. “As we said, neither this surge nor any of our efforts to expand processing capacity curtail any aspects of the security, medical, or other screening.” The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist attacks in Paris last November stoked fresh fears that terrorist groups would use refugee admissions programs to infiltrate members into Western countries.

Prosecutors said two of the Paris attackers had evidently entered Europe through Greece, posing as refugees fleeing from the Syrian conflict. The French government warned European partners that “some terrorists are trying to get into our countries and commit criminal acts by mixing in with the flow of migrants and refugees.” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper would later tell a Senate committee that ISIS is indeed “taking advantage of the torrent of migrants [entering Europe] to insert operatives into that flow.” In a letter to Obama shortly after the Paris attack, Collins urged a suspension of all Syrian and Iraqi refugee admissions “until your Administration creates both a truly thorough vetting process to identify individuals who pose a security threat and an extensive monitoring process for all relocated refugees that ensures Americans are safe from potential threats.”

Last month the House Judiciary Committee approved in a 18-9 vote the Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act, which sets a cap of 60,000 refugee admissions from all countries each year – down from the goals of 85,000 and 100,000 set by Obama for FY 2016 and FY 2017. The GOP-drafted legislation would also prevent the president from changing the number of refugee admissions without congressional approval, require regular screening for resettled refugees until they become lawful permanent residents, and prioritize religious minorities fleeing religious persecution. As of this week, of the 1,366 Syrian refugees admitted into the U.S. since the beginning of FY 2016, 97.3 per cent are Sunni Muslims, 1.9 percent are Shi’a and other Muslims, and 0.6 percent are Christians.

Rep. Collins: Speeding Up Syrian Refugee Applications Is ‘A Threat to Our National Security’

See also:

The West's Terrorist “Catch and Release” Program
April 13, 2016 - Virtually every suspect involved in recent Brussels bombing had been tracked, arrested, in custody – either by European security agencies or the agencies of their allies – but inexplicably released and allowed to carry out both the Brussels attack as well as the Paris attack that preceded it.

So obvious is this fact, that the Western media itself admits it, but simply dismisses the obvious and deeper implications such facts pose by claiming it is merely systemic incompetence. The Wall Street Journal would admit that the recently arrested “man in the hat” also known as Mohamed Abrini, was also arrested for suspected terrorist activity – allegedly scoping out potential targets in the UK – but also – like his collaborators – inexplicably released. His brother had been to Syria where he fought and died alongside the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS), and Abrini himself too appears to have been in Syria.

The Wall Street Journal’s article, “Brussels Suspect Mohamed Abrini: What We Know,” reports that:

After the U.K., Mr. Abrini traveled to Paris and then Brussels, where he was arrested but then released, according to the two people. But Belgian authorities passed the information about his U.K. trip, including images found on his phone, to the British, the sources said.

Abrini’s case of “catch and release” before carrying out a successful string of deadly attacks across Europe, is just the latest.

West’s ISIS Catch & Release Program

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey's runnin' amok all over Europe...

Refugee Crisis 'Totally Unmanageable,’ UN Chief Says
April 15, 2016 - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the world's current refugee crisis, with more than 70 million displaced people, has become "totally unmanageable" and "uncontrollable."

Speaking at the World Bank headquarters in Washington at a panel discussion on the refugee situation, Ban called for political solidarity as the world faces the "biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time." World Bank President Jim Yong Kim told the panel that development solutions for countries facing refugee problems must come just as quickly as humanitarian help. "We can no longer wait for the humanitarian experts to do their work while we enter later at some point with our long-term solutions after months or sometimes after years. We know we can no longer wait as countries implode and say, ‘Well, this is not our job,’ " he said.

Refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon have grown into villages and towns. But residents say without many resources or rights, there is no future in the camps, such as this one in Jordan.​

Kim said the World Bank is working on a plan to loan money at zero percent interest to groups that will hire refugees. "So how do you solve this problem of so many refugees who don't have livelihoods, who don't have income, and at the same time not just simply burden a country like Jordan with debt?" Kim asked. The panel also featured leaders from Lebanon and Jordan — two of the countries most affected by the Syrian civil war.

’10 South Carolinas’

Queen Rania of Jordan said one out of every seven people in her country is a Syrian refugee. "To put that in context, if the United States received an equivalent influx, it will mean accommodating 50 million refugees. Think about that, 50 million. That's almost 2½ more Floridas, five Ohios, 10 South Carolinas," she said. Queen Rania said the refugee crisis was a global one, adding, "We are deluding ourselves if we think it can be contained. We know all too well in our interconnected world a crisis in one place is a crisis in all places."

Syrian refugees stand outside their tents at a Syrian refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon​

European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker said the crisis is testing the values and will of the European Union. "It is reminding us that solidarity is not only a moral virtue, but an essential part of the European Union," he said. Migration is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century, and Europe "will be defined by how we respond," Junker said.

Refugee Crisis 'Totally Unmanageable,’ UN Chief Says

See also:

WHO: Blockaded Syrians Deprived of Medical Supplies
April 15, 2016 — The World Health Organization is urgently appealing to the Syrian government to allow life-saving surgical equipment and medications into besieged and hard-to-reach areas.

The World Health Organization reports Syrian authorities have been removing critical surgical equipment and medicines from relief convoys for years. But, it says this practice is worsening and is becoming more life threatening as people are becoming weaker and sicker after years of conflict. The WHO notes there were nine incidents last year in which medical supplies were removed from convoys going to battle-scarred people in Homs, Aleppo, and rural Damascus. As a consequence, it estimates more than 100,000 people were deprived of vital medical support.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib says antibiotics and chronic medicines were removed from convoys recently that were going to the besieged cities of Madaya, Zabadani, Kafria, Idlib, and Homs. She says these supplies, which previously had been accepted, were now crossed off the list of approved medications. “This is worrisome because, as you know, many people, hundreds of people need these antibiotics and medicines for chronic diseases—if not their life is at risk. Many people have diabetes, have cancer, hyper-tension. They can also suffer from asthma and if this medication is missing, their health is at risk," said Chaib.

A Syrian boy waits his family to loads their belongings onto a bus in the town of Palmyra in the central Homs province, Syria​

UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura says he raised similar concerns with Syrian authorities on a recent trip to Damascus. He says he was assured they would allow all items to be delivered to besieged areas, except for surgical ones, atropine, and anxiety pills. “We are still concerned about surgical items, which are not just for military use, but they can be and should be used for children for instance, which happen to be falling through the rubbles of incidents and would require this," said de Mistura.

The WHO also is calling for permission to organize frequent and lengthy medical assessment missions in blockaded areas. It says such missions would provide a comprehensive overview of the health condition of the people, so appropriate medication and treatment could be administered.

WHO: Blockaded Syrians Deprived of Medical Supplies

 

[Mudda]

If the US hadn't totally destabilized the region by invading Iraq and Afghanistan for no reason, and hadn't promoted and helped the failed Arabs springs, none of this would be happening.