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Center for Immigration Studies Fellow Don Barnett on the Dysfunctional Refugee Program

Don Barnett’s op-ed was first published in The Tennessean paper on January 9, 2020.

When you get to the part below which references the letter from the Evangelical Immigration Table delivered to Bill Lee with 659 signatures from Tennessee Evangelicals urging the Governor to consent to refugee resettlement, be aware that no one from his home church, Grace Chapel appears to have signed the letter, at least by individuals who signed the letter with a church affiliation noted.

Don’s op-ed starts here:

The well-meaning but dysfunctional U.S. refugee system costs taxpayers a lot while rewarding a few for keeping the cycle going.

Don Barnett resides in Brentwood, Tennessee. He has been a contributor for the Center for Immigration Studies.

In recent years about one out of five legal immigrants have arrived as a client of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, or ORR.

In 2016 these clients numbered 212,410. All were eligible for all forms of welfare on the same basis as U.S. citizens because of their immigration status: Refugees, Trafficking Victims, Cuban/Haitian Entrants, Special Immigrant Visa holders or Asylees with status granted by an immigration judge. In addition, 59,170 unaccompanied alien children went into special ORR programs. By 2019 the number of these children entering the country exceeded 69,000 with annual cost for care over $1.25 billion.

Our well-intentioned humanitarian immigration policies exert an even greater influence on the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.

A refugee pipeline

A network of international non-government organizations, brokers, lawyers and other middlemen exists to keep the engine going in a machine that delivers people into the pipeline of U.S. humanitarian immigration programs such as the resettlement of refugees from United Nations camps and other places to the U.S.

Tennessee is doing its part to keep the machine going.

The Trump administration’s latest attempt to reform refugee and asylum policy is a Sept. 26 executive order allowing states and localities to opt out of refugee resettlement in their environs.

In implementing a procedure to identify those jurisdictions that want refugees, the State Department allowed the federally funded resettlement contractors to drum up business for themselves. They promptly launched a nationwide mass marketing campaign aimed at getting citizens to encourage their governors and local officials to write a ‘yes to refugees’ letter to the State Department.

The left-leaning Evangelical Immigration Table, which has been linked National Immigration Forum, coordinated a petition drive in 15 states, including Tennessee. The letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee had 659 evangelicals sign it urging the governor to consent to refugee resettlement.

No one from his home church in Franklin, Grace Chapel, has been identified as having signed the plea. So far, the response has been good for the refugee industry. If the pro-refugee media campaign is successful, the executive order may end up with effects diametrically the opposite of those intended. Imagine the faux social media opprobrium that will pour down on the first governor who publicly rejects refugees.

Of course, the publicity campaign makes no mention of costs to federal, state and local taxpayers for such services as Medicaid, English language learning and welfare. Instead it spins these costs as “federal money” that follows the refugees and stimulates the economy.

Lee may damage legal case

Lee has consented to continued resettlement for one year even though Tennessee has an active lawsuit to stop refugee resettlement in the state, alleging that current practice runs roughshod over state sovereignty and forces states to pay for costs that were originally to be covered by the federal government.

Though Lee says he wants the lawsuit to go forward, his actions may well invalidate it.

We can hope the unexpectedly strong negative response from the public and the legislature will lead to a change of course as soon as possible. The U.S. needs to maintain its leadership role in humanitarian initiatives overseas, but our humanitarian immigration policies are not working as advertised.

Humanitarian admission to the U.S. must mostly be the work of true, self-regulating, U.S.-based, sacrificial charity, not the work of international contractors funded with government dollars. Were that the case from the beginning, we wouldn’t need this latest executive order or the lawsuit.

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If Foreign Military Students Can’t Be Vetted, How Can Refugees be?

As Governors across the country say yes to refugee resettlement in their respective states, the grumblings from counties within those states is growing, as most residents realize refugees cannot be as vetted as they are portrayed.

 What should be startling news to those who believe the vetting process is fail proof, is the news 12 Saudi Royal soldiers, attending our Naval training centers, hand picked and “vetted” have just been expelled due to an act of terrorism on our own soil. Some of those 12, include charges for child pornography.

On December 6 2019, gunman Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, an aviation student from Saudi Arabia, opened fire at the Florida base killing 3 American soldiers. Alshamrani was participating in a training program in conjunction with the Pentagon in an agreement with Saudi Arabia that teaches English, basic aviation and initial pilot training.

“In the wake of the Pensacola tragedy, the Department of Defense restricted to classroom training programs foreign military students from Saudi Arabia while we conducted a review and enhancement of our foreign student vetting procedures. That training pause is still in place while we implement new screening and security measures,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Carver told Fox News.

So if our vetting for foreign military students is failing, what would make anyone think the refugee vetting process is better?

It’s not! Although President Trump is making every effort to decrease the number of refugees entering the United States, our efforts here by the best experts including, the  Department of Homeland Security (DHS),  and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can only be as good as the very first interview abroad with the UN, who is responsible for taking applications.

 From a statement of facts published on the White House website on September 29, 2017 it states:

 

Most would agree, while the numbers have been small, it is still not acceptable that even one death would occur at the hands of a refugee. 

President Trump was right on target when he attempted to implement what was falsely labeled a “Muslim” ban, which was limiting the numbers of those entering America from volatile Middle East countries. Many of those countries are war torn, third world, with the general tone of hating the West. To attempt to squash the idea many refugees are Muslim, the same Governors that said yes, are now using talking points that suggest we will only be accepting Christians.  According to the refugee placement rules is the following.

 

It should be perfectly clear, no one can dictate who will be arriving on our shores. So how is the vetting process flawed? Beginning with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,  (UNHCR) an application is submitted and reviewed. As the process continues abroad, we depend on accurate, truthful, information which eventually depends on biometric data. Ask yourself this question..how can an individual from a war torn, or third world country be vetted by fingerprints, facial recognition, or DNA, when these country’s have no way to collect or store this type of data. American intelligence is absolutely the best, however information collected can only be as good as the first interview where pedigree info is presented by the refugee. While we here in the United States are technologically advanced, countries of origin for many refugees are not.

How can we consider someone who upon arriving at customs has to be given a date of birth as Jan 1, with approximate year because they do not know when they were born? African and Arabic names are extremely complex, with as many as 5-6 components, often with titles, tribal, occupation, and surnames. There are dozens of ways to spell Muhammad. Still sound possible?

This isn’t a matter of hate, or bigotry, this is a matter of preservation and knowing who is entering the United States. At a time when the world is in turmoil, we must find another way to help those in need.

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

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Six Reasons Local Governments Should Formally Non-Consent to Refugee Resettlement

Funny how candidate Lee said a statewide policy on transgender bathrooms would be divisive and should be left to local decision-making, but permitting federal resettlement contractors to operate in any county they choose, was his decision alone to make.

Even though Governor Lee said he consented for the whole state for continued initial resettlement of refugees in Tennessee, President Trump and the Department of Justice have clearly said otherwise.

The DOJ has written explicitly in their legal brief objecting to the federal contractors’ lawsuit to enjoin the President’s Executive Order:

“Section 2(b) of the Executive Order further requires the Secretary of State to develop and implement a process by which the State’s and locality’s consent to resettlement is ‘taken into account to the maximum extent consistent with law.’” Specifically, if either a State or locality has not provided consent to receive refugees, then refugees should not be resettled within that State or locality unless the Secretary of State concludes, following consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security, that failing to resettle refugees within that State or locality would be inconsistent with the policies and strategies established under the Refugee Act… or other applicable law.”

But the DOJ and President Trump didn’t expect that Bill Lee would act like king for a day and claim that his consent to continue importing refugees, would take away any decision-making authority given to a local government by the President’s EO.

So why should local governments in Tennessee take the time to formally register either their CONSENT or NON-CONSENT for refugee resettlement?

  1. Unlike Bill Lee, the President respects the opinions and positions of everyday working American citizens.
  2. Ensuring that local governments have a say in what goes on in their community is the foundation of Trump’s America-first agenda and all of his efforts on the issues involved with both legal immigration like refugee resettlement, and illegal immigration.
  3. The President’s Executive Order, the Funding Notice which operationalizes the EO, and the DOJ’s legal brief explicitly and repeatedly emphasize the role of local governments to voice their preferences about receiving and supporting refugees.
  4. The President’s Executive Order says that “with limited exceptions, the Federal Government,”…”should resettle refugees only in those jurisdictions in which both the State and local governments have consented to receive refugees under the Department of State’s Reception and Placement Program.”
  5. The practical effect of Bill Lee’s statewide consent, is that counties are now in the position that if they don’t formally OPT-OUT, they will remain subject to Lee’s statewide consent.
  6. The State Department has not decided yet whether no action/silence on the part of a local government will be considered a consent or a non-consent to receive newly arrived refugees. So non-consenting counties would be wise to get a letter or resolution of non-consent to the State Department as they start to decide where resettlement activity will be allowed.

BTW, it’s being reported that the Governor is claiming “executive privilege” in order to hide information and other documentation related to his all-encompassing mandate for his fiefdom to receive arriving refugees.

 Now it’s really getting interesting.

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The U.S. Department of Justice Adamant That Counties Be Consulted About Refugee Resettlement…

Even if Governor Lee doesn’t agree or even care what counties think. Remember he basically said the counties “are at the mercy of the state.”

After the federal refugee contractors had their temper tantrum, whining, moaning and groaning about having to actually get written consent from governors AND from county executives, the federal profiteers went ahead and sued the Trump administration.

Aside from their overt hatred of the President and perhaps their worry that the pubic dollar gravy train the resettlement industry relies upon could actually force them to fundraise (they are “charities” after all), three of the federal resettlement contractors sued to enjoin the President’s Executive Order.

They want this consent stuff stopped NOW and PERMANENTLY. In fact, they want to have it declared invalid.

But Trump’s Department of Justice is having none of it – or at least that’s what they are arguing. And what they have told the federal court in Maryland is directly the opposite of what Bill Lee says with regard to counties. For some reason, the DOJ keeps repeating in their legal memo to the court that local governments are supposed to be consulted about whether they want refugees resettled to their communities.

First the DOJ lawyers have the audacity to cite to federal law:

The Refugee Act sets out a number of factors for federal agencies charged with making placement decisions to consider when making initial placement decisions. In carrying out this initial program of resettlement under Section 1522(a)(2)(A), the Government shall consult regularly (not less often than quarterly) with State and local governments…

And they just keep repeating that local governments are part of the refugee resettlement equation:

“Although there is an existing process by which the Federal Government consults with State and local governments to identify the best environments for refugees, ‘[s]ome States and localities [ ] have viewed existing consultation requirements as insufficient, and there is a need for closer coordination and a more clearly defined role for State and local governments in the refugee resettlement process.’”

“[c]lose cooperation with State and local governments ensures that refugees are resettled in communities that are eager and equipped to support their successful integration into American society and the labor force.” As the Executive Order explains, ‘State and local governments are best positioned to know the resources and capacities they may or may not have available to devote to sustainable resettlement, which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient* and free from long-term dependence on public assistance.’”

“To those ends, Section 2(a) of the Executive Order directs the Secretary of State to develop and implement a process within 90 days of the date of the Executive Order to determine whether the State and locality both consent in writing to the resettlement of refugees within the relevant State and locality, before any refugees are resettled within that State and locality under the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. § 2(a). Section 2(a) also requires the Secretary of State to publicly release the written consents provided by States and localities to resettlement of refugees.” (emphasis added)

“As explained in the Executive Order, it is the policy of the United States to cooperate and consult with State and local governments and to take into account their preferences when determining whether and where to resettle refugees. Executive Order § 1” (emphasis added)

How in the world could Bill Lee get this all so very wrong?

And what’s his justification for deciding that counties are second class citizens and their position on the issue just doesn’t matter? Does he think that just because the law says the federal government is supposed to consult with local governments, he doesn’t have to?

*for whatever it’s worth, this “self-sufficiency” language is deceiving – here’s what it really means – a refugee be in most public assistance programs such as public housing, Medicaid, Food Stamps, WIC, etc.” and still be considered “self-sufficient.”

Yeah right.

 

 

 

 

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Governor Lee Is Wrong – Counties Don’t Have to Defer to Him on Refugee Resettlement

According to multiple reports, the very-much-on-the-defense Governor Lee claimed at First Tuesday that counties defer to the state’s consent for refugee resettlement. One attendee described Lee’s version as “the counties are at the mercy of the state.”

This is so NOT what the President’s Executive Order says and NOT what the State Department guidance says.

The EO and the Funding Notice which ORR says “operationalizes” the EO, say over and over and over and over again, that local governments have a role and a stake in deciding whether to have refugees imported into their counties.

The written guidance issued by the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration says specifically that the State Consent Letter could “consent to initial resettlement for refugees only in certain counties” which Arkansas’ governor did. This strongly suggests that there would have been communication and consideration for concerns which counties might have.

Remember, Bill Lee rode his tractor in all those rural counties which he says he cares the most about, so he should know who to talk to about refugee resettlement there. He certainly knew who to pander to for votes.

 

Governor to county consultation could have happened if the Governor hadn’t been so insistent about imposing his personal agenda on the entire state.But he never bothered to ask the state legislature or county officials who have to open up the purse to pay for the Governor’s personal agenda.

Every public system and every state taxpayer in Tennessee is impacted by refugee resettlement. For example, take required language services. The Tennessee Department of Human Services must offer applications for food stamps and cash welfare (TANF) in Somali, Arabic and Spanish. They used to (and probably still do upon request), offer help in two Kurdish dialects, Bosnian and Vietnamese.

 

There are plenty of good reasons why counties might have something to say about federal resettlement contractors spreading their customers anywhere from 50 – 100 miles away from the resettlement office.

For example, since 2016, Tennessee has received 4,113 refugees which included 279 Bhutanese, 405 Burmese and 366 Somali refugees.

Demographic data from the State Department’s website shows that of the 11,627 Bhutanese brought to the U.S., 27% were under 14 years old and only 15% of the adult population attained a secondary school education level.

Of the 26,500 Burmese who were brought to the U.S. over 9,500 were under 14 years old, 426 were over 65 and only 20% of the adult population attained a secondary school education.

Of the 15,689 Somali arrivals, over 6,000 were under 14 years old and only 8% of the adult population attained a secondary school education.

Refugee students who enter public school systems and who don’t speak English require specialized English Language Learner (ELL) services. School systems must also hire translators to assist the parents. Many students lack regular formal education in their native language.

Even though the federal government mandates teaching English to students so they can access the education being provided, very little of the cost is funded by the federal government; the majority of the cost is funded by the state with a required local share.

And even though refugee students are the smaller part of the ELL population (wanna guess who the majority might be?), it’s the refugee students who bring the much larger number of different languages to serve. Not saying these students shouldn’t be taught, but the Governor has no business blindly imposing costs (which he isn’t even allowed to do under the state Constitution) so he can fulfill his Biblical and personal mandate.

Bill Lee believes he can force feed refugees into any county in the state he chooses, so counties would be wise to formally object if they disagree with the Governor. In the end silence may equate to acceptance. The EO, the Funding Notice, the State Department Report to Congress and even the Department of Justice response to the VOLAG lawsuit trying to enjoin the EO, repeatedly say that they really want to just try and put refugees in communities that want to support them.

 

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Bill Lee Agrees to Take Australia’s Rejected Refugees

A big part of Governor Lee’s defense for consenting to resettling refugees is centered on President Trump. Lee has made a big deal about supporting what he refers to the refugee program designed by President Trump. Lee has focused on enhanced vetting measures undertaken by the Trump administration and the lowered refugee admission numbers.

What the Governor hasn’t bothered to disclose, however, is that part of Trump’s lowered annual admission plan and number of 18,000 has already been committed to taking refugees rejected by Australia under a deal that was cut by Obama before he left office and which Trump agreed to honor.

Surely Bill Lee has read the section on Proposed FY2020 Allocations in the “Report to Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY2020” which says that of the 7,500 other refugees not covered by the other categories listed, the U.S. will take:

Those currently located in Australia, Nauru or Papua New Guinea who access to USRAP pursuant to an agreement between the United States and Australia.

 Per Obama’s deal, the U.S. agreed to take the 1,250 illegal entrants to Australia who then claimed they wanted asylum. The group of mostly men who were detained at Australia’s offshore detention centers on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru, were identified as coming from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan.

Iran and Somalia are still on the list of travel ban countries, so how will that work? Oh right, refugees are exempted from the travel ban. That’s why in 2019, just under 1,400 refugees were “imported” from travel ban countries. Since the final version of the travel ban went into effect, ninety-eight (98) refugees from Iran, Somalia and Syria, have been resettled in Tennessee. This number does not include secondary migrants from the travel ban countries who may have re-migrated to Tennessee during the same timeframe.

Most likely the Australia refugees will still be subject to the U.S. enhanced vetting, but seriously, if these refugees were unacceptable to Australia, why is the U.S. taking them????

By the way, “the data U.S. officials use to screen these refugees is transmitted from a private refugee-resettlement contractor,” some of the same ones who have a financial incentive to resettle as many refugees as possible.

A 2017 report from Center for Immigration Studies researcher Nayla Rush, relates the activism of Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish refugee (Bill Lee’s favorite kind), detained on Manus Island whose postings on social media were highly critical of President Trump. With regard to the President’s vetting measures, Boochani’s facebook page hosted a discussion about getting around some of the enhanced vetting measures. It included warnings for potential refugees to clean up their social media pages because they would be looked at under the enhanced vetting procedures.

“About Facebook. Guys can delete their pages, but still keep a backup copy on a USB drive. Or better still ask a friend who is not in Manus to download a copy. … I agree it is better to not have anything in your phone or on Facebook or Messenger or anywhere else.”  

Any chance they were concerned about anti-America or pro-jihad postings?

CIS researcher adds this thought – “… added scrutiny of social media for purposes of vetting refugees only works when it comes as a surprise. Most asylum seekers today expect it and cover their tracks accordingly.”

Of equal concern, is information gathered by “United Nations experts” about the pool of Australia’s rejected refugees:

“…medical experts found that 88 percent of asylum seekers and refugees surveyed “were suffering from a depressive or anxiety disorder and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. … Furthermore, a number of very severe psychiatric disorders were identified, including gross psychopathology consistent with psychosis as well as psychotic dissociation.” Experts concluded that “[t]he prevalence and severity of mental disorders presented by the asylum-seeker and refugee population on Manus Island is extreme.” Eighty-three percent of asylum seekers and refugees surveyed on Nauru “suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression.”

Trump initially called Obama’s agreement with Australia, a “dumb deal.” Nevertheless, the arrival and resettlement of these refugees across the United States, including in Georgia, Oregon, Colorado, Texas and Arizona, began right before FY2018 ended.

And according to the FY2020 report, it continues.

Governor Lee has insisted, repeatedly in fact, that “engaging” the state of Tennessee in Trump’s refugee program means “we have control over who comes in.”

Not so fast Gov. The State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration (PRM), says that when YOU issued your consent for refugee resettlement in Tennessee, you were not allowed to “place any other conditions on refugee resettlement, including acceptance of certain refugees or based on any other factor, such as refugees’ race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.”

Blimey mate!

 

 

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Can Governor Lee Really “Control” Which Refugees Come to Tennessee?

It’s pretty interesting that Governor Lee keeps telling us how much “control” he can have over which refugees come to Tennessee now that he’s consented to putting the state back into the program.

Except Lee hasn’t actually defined what control means in any definitive way.

During yesterday’s second radio interview Lee mentioned the “control” factor no less than four times while defending his decision to put Tennessee back into the refugee resettlement program. 

He [Trump] improved the vetting process. And we have been speaking to them and talking to them about this process because I want to make sure it’s a process we want to live with and he improved the vetting process. If we engage in this then we have some control over it. And we have control over who comes in.

 This process that President Trump has outlined and that all these Republican governors are engaging? You know why they’re engaging? Because if we don’t, the Democrats decide what this process looks like. If we engage in this then we get to have some control over who comes. Where they come from. How they’re assimilated.

“…we get to have some control over who comes. Where they come from. How they’re assimilated.”

Remember the President’s Executive Order on the travel ban – the one titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States?

Guess what Governor – the travel ban EO doesn’t apply to refugee arrivals.

In fact, in 2019, just under 1,400 refugees were “imported” from travel ban countries. Since the final version of the travel ban went into effect, ninety-eight (98) refugees from Iran, Somalia and Syria, have been resettled in Tennessee. This number does not include secondary migrants from the travel ban countries who may have re-migrated to Tennessee during the same timeframe.

Lee is also relying on the “enhanced vetting” put in place after the courts shredded the first version of the travel ban EO. Enhanced vetting includes gathering more biographical data, checking social media accounts, training interviewers to detect fraud, and data sharing among agencies.

But even this has limits.

During the time of the first vetting discussion after the jihad in Paris, MULTIPLE U.S. agency officials involved in vetting refugees testified that vetting refugees from failed states or where no databases exist or where refugees lack vital documents, demonstrate the real limits of the vetting exercise.

The Governor also continues to try and hide behind Trump – he says he trusts the President, he appreciates that the President gave him a choice, he thinks the President has everyone vetted to the teeth, Trump, Trump, Trump.

We know that Tennessee is Trump country but that doesn’t shield Lee from his own actions – especially since Trump has been trying to dismantle the dysfunctional refugee resettlement program since he took office!!!!!!

During the campaign Lee told audiences that he supported the state’s Tenth Amendment lawsuit challenging the refugee program. The problem of course it that voters thought it meant he agreed with them that the state shouldn’t get back into resettling refugees and that the federal government shouldn’t get away with forcing the state to pay for a program from which it had withdrawn.

But the Governor has said he feels all better about it now because the President gave him a choice and didn’t force the state to be in the program.

So Governor, please, please, please explain to us, the great unwashed, how what you’ve said about the state now not being forced by the federal government to pay the fed’s cost share for the program, doesn’t undermine the state’s lawsuit?

And what is to be understood when the Governor says nonsensical things like we can’t stop refugees coming to Tennessee from other states so we should go ahead and have the federal contractors bring new refugees in from overseas. Huh?

And the thing he and his wife have with Kurdish refugees and the Governor’s adamant declaration that he won’t turn his back on them! Talk about a direct backhand to Trump against whom Nashville’s Little Kurdistan protested after the President’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Northern Syria.

The immigration issues plaguing the country was a centerpiece of Trump’s campaign. Trump has been trying to reduce the entry of low and unskilled immigrants and those who like refugees, are legally able to use all public assistance welfare programs. The Trump-effect has been that “workers at the bottom of the pay scale have been feeling positive effects on their wages at the end of 2019 — especially when compared to those at the top.”

Unlike Lee’s first “incoherent defense of his refugee decision” Monday’s radio host went overboard trying to minimize the overwhelming public criticism of the Governor’s decision by calling it a mere “disagreement.”

Hardly.

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Governor Lee Chooses Refugees Over 6,300 Tennessee Citizens with Disabilities

Even if Governor Lee doesn’t care about people with disabilities, at least the leftist Tennessean newspaper does. In December, the paper ran a pretty detailed story about Tennesseans born with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are supposed to get services from TennCare, but aren’t.

Right now there are 5,000 of these folks actively trying to get services but instead, they are “stuck on a waiting list.” TennCare, one of the worst agencies in the Tennessee state government, isn’t even asking the Governor or the legislature for enough money to serve all these people. TennCare says it’s willing to wait for however many years it takes for the money to be there to help these people.

There’s been no mention that the Governor included the money in his budget either. Instead, he’s been talking about spending down the state’s TANF (cash welfare) reserve probably as a way to funnel more money to the refugees he’s trucking into the state. Unlike most other legal immigrants, refugees are immediately eligible when they get here to apply for all forms of public assistance, including cash welfare.

In fact, the federal government mandates that refugees be enrolled into TennCare if they’re eligible. The federal government admits that they used to reimburse the state for the money the state spends on TennCare for refugees, but then stopped because Congress decided to spend less money on refugees. Congress decided to let states that wanted refugees use state money instead.

That’s why Tennessee has sued the federal government – because the state is being forced by the federal resettlement contractor-profiteers to use state money to fill the money gap created by the federal government which the Governor apparently agrees the state should do. Like pay for TennCare for refugees.

And that leaves less state money to pay for people with disabilities who are waiting for help from TennCare.

So next time you read or hear folks from Bill Lee’s administration say nonsensical things like “if we don’t take refugees, the state won’t get the federal money to support them” realize it’s the same political propaganda put out by the federal resettlement contractors.

In and amongst Bill Lee’s rambling and disconnected first radio interview trying to justify his decision to keep the refugees flowing into Tennessee, he said he was following his heart, his Christian faith, his (supposed) conservative values – “It was a decision based on a number of factors. Including my heart. Including my faith belief that we have a Biblical mandate to provide refuge for those who are persecuted and oppressed.”

So where’s his HEART for the state’s disabled?

Tennessee’s 2019 overall ranking for intending to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is 26th among states. BUT Tennessee is 48th in actually delivering the services to those who need it Ten years ago, Tennessee ranked 43rd in this category. The number of families receiving the needed supports in terms of state spending has been virtually stagnant since 2011. 

Someone should remind Lee that whether or not he likes it, the decision he made is about state policy, not his Bible, his heart or even finding cheap labor for the Lee Company or his corporate cronies at the Chamber of Commerce. (You know, “business decisions” like his campaign donations to pro-abortion candidates Megan Barry and Phil Bredesen).

He has a duty to care first and foremost for the citizens of Tennessee.

And if he can’t find the ethical courage to honor the oath he took when he became governor, he could defer to 1 Timothy 5:8  which we presume is in the same Bible he consulted for his decision on refugee resettlement:

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Bill Lee wants Tennessee voters to accept that his decision to resettle refugees is just about disagreeing on the issue. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice shame on us.

 

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Criminal Justice Reform In Tennessee Is All About Release Part 1.

How would you feel if hardened prisoners, convicted by juries, and sent to prison to fulfill their sentences were now walking the streets of your neighborhood? Well, if they aren’t yet, they will be soon, so buckle up and be aware. And no, this isn’t just occurring in major cities in liberal states, it’s happening in unlikely areas, including Tennessee.

On December 11 2019, Tennessee Dept of Corrections Commissioner Tony Parker, along with Gov Bill Lee celebrated the groundbreaking of a women’s shelter that would help former female inmates’ transition from prison life. While I believe these programs are helpful, there is an entire slice of this reform that is going unspoken.

 “When you look at the root causes of crime, what drives it – addiction and mental health issues – we know the answer to reducing recidivism here in Tennessee is programs like this” Said Parker.  First of all, the Commissioner of The Tennessee Dept of Corrections is stating criminals are either mental or on drugs is misleading, as many that deal with criminals (like I did for 20 years) every day know a vast number of criminals are just opportunistic thugs.

 While the criminal justice system in the United States is far from perfect, releasing those who have committed crimes of all kinds is not the answer, despite the intentions of Christian organizations who believe criminals can be cured. One such group is the Tennessee based Men of Valor, a group supported by long time former board member Gov. Bill Lee.

Men of Valor is an exceptional organization that has changed many lives and boasts on its website “Men of Valor is committed to winning men in prison to Jesus Christ and discipling them. Our purpose is to equip them to re-enter society as men of integrity – becoming givers to the community rather than takers.”   We are all for changing minds and helping people find God, but at what expense must Tennesseans be willing to pay if the program doesn’t work for all those being released, and is it appropriate for all offenders?

In the meantime, while concerned over recidivism rates, Men of Valor and other organizations are offering assistance to inmates, a blanket set of conditions for newly released prisoners has been discovered. Typically, when those who have committed serious crimes have completed a prescribed amount of time, they are often released under the supervision of Parole, with less serious offenders to Probation.

Under Parole or Probation, a former inmate must abide by strict sets of rules and conditions and be supervised by their named Parole or Probation officer. If the released offender breaks those rules and conditions, he is arrested and is sent back to prison. Wait. Read that again. If the released offender breaks those rules and conditions, he is arrested and is sent back to prison. Well, not in Tennessee under Lee’s administration.

As law enforcement officers are being subjected to every kind of harassment, disrespect, assaults and targets on their backs, departments are facing dangerous shortages, and manpower issues. What’s just as serious is the system breaking down around them, leaving their jobs in many cases obsolete. Unfortunately, this includes Parole and Probation. According to sources, Parole officers are not allowed to make arrests based on the violation’s offenders committed, even if it was one of their prescribed conditions. This would include drug possession and, in some cases, weapons. Why? Because in the state of Tennessee, Parole officers are not given powers of arrest.   This in turn has empowered former prisoners released under supervision to do whatever they want, including violate their terms of release. If such terms are broken, the Parole officer cannot make the arrest, but rather must obtain a warrant, then request local law enforcement execute it. Many times warrants are not entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system in a timely matter, giving the former inmate a pass if he/she has contact with police. 

Last week, Gov.Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force released their report, which has many scratching their head, as it is more about release then reformation. Labeling the breaking of their terms and conditions “technical violations” is soft balling the ever growing problem of prisoners failing to follow the rules. From the report it states:

“The data indicated that a large number of individuals are entering prison after a failure on community supervision, often because of technical violations. Nearly 5,000 individuals entered prison from parole, probation, or community corrections in FY2018, representing 39 percent of all admissions for that fiscal year. Between FY2010 and FY2019, the number of revocations for a technical violation increased by 53 percent, while the number of revocations for a new charge decreased by 8 percent. Just over 50 percent of all community supervision revocations in FY2018 were due to a technical violation as defined by the TDOC, up from 38 percent in FY2010. As Tennessee increases the use of community supervision as an alternative to incarceration, consistent and standardized evidenced-based supervision practices are necessary.”

Ya think? If parolees or probationers are only being arrested on technical violations, not new charges, that simply means they are not capable of following rules.  If they can’t, follow rules or conditions what makes one think they can follow laws? It does not help, that in Tennessee, Parole and Probation officers have no powers to arrest. 

“In 2016, in part seeking to address the growing number of technical violations, Tennessee enacted the Public Safety Act, establishing the use of a graduated sanctions matrix to respond to non-compliant behavior in a swift, certain, and proportional way. However, the data examined demonstrated that graduated sanctions are currently being used inconsistently across the state. Furthermore, the matrix establishes several zero tolerance policies that disproportionately affect individuals with substance use disorders. This zero-tolerance conduct, which results in immediate revocation, includes refusing to submit to a drug screen, testing positive for methamphetamine, or testing positive multiple times for any other type of drug use.”

So, the answer has been to not allow officers to re arrest those who originally were jailed for drug offense but now allow them to use or possess drugs. This can only get worse, as drug users often resort to more violent crimes to feed their addiction.

Coming up in Part 2, a look at some of those former prisoners released under “community supervision” that have committed murders in Tennessee, in the last several months.

 

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CAIR Vows To Monitor TN Gov’s Pick For Parole Board

On December 26 2019, Tennessee Gov Bill Lee appointed former State Senator and candidate for Gov, Mae Beavers to a position on the states Parole Board. On the same day, The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) aka Hamas, vowed to “monitor” her every move to ensure there is no bias, particularly against the Muslim community.

This isn’t the first time CAIR has stuck its terrorist loving nose into Tennessee business, in 2018 Mae Beavers was running for Gov, and had planned a National Security event which included speakers Dr. Bill Warner, John Guandolo, and myself, Cathy Hinners.  This event was to be held at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville TN, Mrs. Beavers former college which also has deep family roots. Trevecca canceled the event after CAIR/Hamas made a complaint to the President of Trevecca, Dan Boone, who caved immediately.

Although Tennessee is not home to a formal CAIR/Hamas chapter, its sister organization the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC) is embedded deeply. AMAC, despite its “bridge building” façade, has brought CAIR to TN on many occasions, and uses its interfaith and social justice involvement as a guise for peace and love. Beware Tennesseans, AMAC is not about forging relationships with the Muslim community but has infiltrated its way into even the Gov’s office.

What has not helped, not only did former Gov Bill Haslam legitimize AMAC, so has Gov Bill Lee, who reportedly met with members of AMAC on two occasions, the last being 10 days after he was sworn in. So now that CAIR/Hamas has strongly opposed the Mae Beavers appointment, will Gov Bill Lee succumb to the pressure, and remove Mae Beavers from her newly appointed post?

AMAC January 2019 meeting with Bill Lee

We hope not, and we ask Gov Lee to not be intimidated, or pressured into changing his mind. Our message to CAIR and AMAC should be strong and swift.  We Tennesseans do not welcome, or want CAIR/ Hamas or AMAC to have any say in anything occurring in our state.

Tennesseans believe in Mae Beavers, who will conduct herself as she always has, professionally and with Tennesseans best interest in mind, but will the relationship Bill Lee has forged with AMAC be stronger?

Stay tuned..