Warren Mayor: Don't Send Us Iraqi Refugees

[crunchy_pickle (5)]

Warren Mayor: Don't Send Us Iraqi Refugees

WATCH INTERVIEW/ACTION NEWS REPORT IN VIDEO PLAYER RIGHT

Warren Mayor Mark Steenbergh claims the federal government is looking to relocate more than 16,000 Iraqi refugees to Warren and Sterling Heights -- and there's no way his city can handle it.

From City of Warren...

Warren Mayor Questions Placement of Iraqi Refugees in City

Thousands of Iraqi refugees may soon be placed in Warren, according to information provided to city officials. “I don’t understand how the federal government believes we can handle those kinds of numbers,” said Mayor Mark Steenbergh. “If the numbers shared with my staff are accurate, I’m extremely concerned that we cannot handle this burden placed upon our resources.”

Warren officials have been discussing the Iraqi refugee placement with staff from the Macomb County Planning Department. County officials told local officials at a meeting held last week that the possibility of thousands of refugees coming to Warren exists. County planners say the federal government agreed to accept up to 25,000 Iraqi refugees to the United States this past April. In order to obtain refugee status with the United States Department of State, applicants must first list someone living here as a contact person. As such, sixty-six percent of the total refugee allotment may be located in the cities of Warren and Sterling Heights due to the large number of Iraqi immigrants already residing in those communities.

“We were told ninety Iraqi refugees are due to arrive very soon with many more to follow,” said Steenbergh. “I’ve been told that these refugees will be given assistance in locating housing and in learning English. Will the City of Warren receive assistance for the burden placed upon our services with so many people set to arrive? Will our schools be given assistance with the need to educate so many more non – English speaking children?”

“My biggest concern is where the refugees will find employment?” asked Steenbergh. “The economy is horrible in southeastern Michigan. Where are the jobs the refugees will need? Long time Warren residents are having trouble finding jobs. This is not the time to add more people to a shrinking pool of employment.”

Steenbergh plans to contact federal officials to clarify the Iraqi refugee situation: “We are in the process of working with our federal elected officials, including President George Bush, about this. These numbers are staggering. As long as I’m mayor, I will oppose any plan to unfairly burden our community.”

[crunchy_pickle (5)]

Do me a favor guys. If you have a myspace account please join http://groups.myspace.com/futurereform

I need some activists as well as some readers. I plan on being more active on this group until I can get another site up for the purposes of reformation in this country. Also I plan on doing an internet campaign so if anyone holds a degree in political science and would be interested in running under a future reform party ticket please let me know....

[Hellion]

Do me a favor guys. If you have a myspace account please join http://groups.myspace.com/futurereform

I need some activists as well as some readers. I plan on being more active on this group until I can get another site up for the purposes of reformation in this country. Also I plan on doing an internet campaign so if anyone holds a degree in political science and would be interested in running under a future reform party ticket please let me know....

I'm on it,heard all about this issue

[BrassFusion]

crazy. i mean i'm totally a bleeding heart and i believe these people NEED a place to go, but my backyard really doesn't have any jobs. no lie...

how many refugees are being placed total, anyway? are they planning on distributing the mass in other states?

[kellygrrrrrl]

crazy. i mean i'm totally a bleeding heart and i believe these people NEED a place to go, but my backyard really doesn't have any jobs. no lie...

how many refugees are being placed total, anyway? are they planning on distributing the mass in other states?

This is not good.

they need to go to like NEW ORLEANS

[Onyx]

crazy. i mean i'm totally a bleeding heart and i believe these people NEED a place to go, but my backyard really doesn't have any jobs. no lie...

how many refugees are being placed total, anyway? are they planning on distributing the mass in other states?

The original article says the goal is 16,000 JUST for Warren and Sterling Heights.

16,000 is a small city's population in itself. Unbelievable. I can see how it's going to be a huge disaster if they end up going through with it.

Edited to add - just out of curiosity I looked up Michigan city populations. Traverse City and Grandville each have a population of around 16,000.

[know_buddy_kares]

This is not good.

they need to go to like NEW ORLEANS

that's an idea... but i feel they need to like, STAY IN IRAQ...

...so they get special treatment for turning christian?

what's the fuckin difference, the different religions there are slaughtering each other anyhow, so why just the christians?

FUCK EM

this whole thing stinks of religious bigotry. Instead of running from their problems, how about they stay In iraq and fix up their own damn country so the troops can fuckin come home already.

[Medea]

that's an idea... but i feel they need to like, STAY IN IRAQ...

...so they get special treatment for turning christian?

what's the fuckin difference, the different religions there are slaughtering each other anyhow, so why just the christians?

FUCK EM

this whole thing stinks of religious bigotry. Instead of running from their problems, how about they stay In iraq and fix up their own damn country so the troops can fuckin come home already.

I don't know about the religion issue with this problem. I will look that up in a bit.

However, Christian Iraqis did not 'turn Christian'. They have been for centuries. That's what a Chaldean is.

[Onyx]

that's an idea... but i feel they need to like, STAY IN IRAQ...

...so they get special treatment for turning christian?

Where does it say they turned Christian? I don't see that anywhere.

I don't want them to just get a free pass into this country like that though. So many others are waiting to get permission to enter this country - why should it be any different for them? If they want to come here it should be the same exact process that others had to go through.

[freydis]

Where does it say they turned Christian? I don't see that anywhere.

I don't want them to just get a free pass into this country like that though. So many others are waiting to get permission to enter this country - why should it be any different for them? If they want to come here it should be the same exact process that others had to go through.

Even more importantly, it doesnt matter who they are or what they did to get here.

Michigan's economy simply cannot support that many more unemployed people.

[Reaper]

In my current job of grocery delivery, I deal with a lot of chaldeans as is. Most of them own grocery stores and work in them. They are already overrun with people wanting jobs. It could be worse where they start fighting with mexicans for the outdoor jobs and other misc odds and ends work.

[BrassFusion]

more people WOULD equal more jobs, though... and if it were family members of people already here coming over, there'd be less money from party stores and gas stations and fruit markets leaving the country.

if it was just an issue of higher population = shittier economy, the conservatives would've instituted compulsory abortion a while ago =J

[know_buddy_kares]

well honestly, I wasn't using the computer at the time i was shown the news link that told the detail of them being Christian/Chaldean... I'm still searching. And unfortunately it didn't go into whether they recently converted or have been that way for generations as far as I remember. But the point being, the different segments of the Muslim religeons, (god I hope i'm spelling these right..) Suni's vs the Sheiits has been a blood bath for generations, so what makes these people more special than the non christian groups for one... and for two, there's some christians that are JUST AS BLOOD THIRSTY as these other warring religeons. Not just that but..

everything about the economy yeah. It's rough as it is, and more people won't create more jobs. If that was the case, then there wouldn't be such a high count of people LEAVING michigan due to the fact that there are no jobs for them to make ends meet here.

We're already in a game of musical chairs with jobs, and getting 10-20 thousand more players is going to make it all the more harder. And that means the government will be pissing away our tax dollars on even more people who are one..

not citizens, and 2, cannot find jobs.

I have nothing personal against this, as I'm leaving for the military but... it's still something that doesn't look like something that's going to be a good result.

[BrassFusion]

everything about the economy yeah. It's rough as it is, and more people won't create more jobs. If that was the case, then there wouldn't be such a high count of people LEAVING michigan due to the fact that there are no jobs for them to make ends meet here.

backwards logic. the people leaving leave because they can find jobs that utilize their skills elsewhere. refugees PLACED here won't have a choice and will have to A. work what jobs they can find and B. spend money on things like food housewares cars rent etc which would in turn create more jobs in the service sector.

We're already in a game of musical chairs with jobs, and getting 10-20 thousand more players is going to make it all the more harder. And that means the government will be pissing away our tax dollars on even more people who are one..

not citizens, and 2, cannot find jobs.

the government putting ANY money into warren/sterling heights is still more money in the area. a lot of it will go to corporations based out of state, but much of it will stay local.

if they can't find jobs, hell... they'll still spend their welfare check at the corner store.

and who cares if they're citizens? they'd be *here.*

[know_buddy_kares]

backwards logic. the people leaving leave because they can find jobs that utilize their skills elsewhere. refugees PLACED here won't have a choice and will have to A. work what jobs they can find and B. spend money on things like food housewares cars rent etc which would in turn create more jobs in the service sector.

the government putting ANY money into warren/sterling heights is still more money in the area. a lot of it will go to corporations based out of state, but much of it will stay local.

if they can't find jobs, hell... they'll still spend their welfare check at the corner store.

and who cares if they're citizens? they'd be *here.*

Yeah, they'll be doing the jobs that don't pay enough to cover rent, utilities, ect, ya know.. the cost of living. I'm not trying to argue you, but in no way am I using backwards logic in this.

I honestly don't see much of a statewide ripple to this, locally it's gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with, but hey, instead of spending tax dollars on educating our own to learn skills for employment, fixing roads, ect.. lets waste it on wellfare for people who don't even belong here.

[BrassFusion]

Yeah, they'll be doing the jobs that don't pay enough to cover rent, utilities, ect, ya know.. the cost of living. I'm not trying to argue you, but in no way am I using backwards logic in this.

I honestly don't see much of a statewide ripple to this, locally it's gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with, but hey, instead of spending tax dollars on educating our own to learn skills for employment, fixing roads, ect.. lets waste it on wellfare for people who don't even belong here.

maybe you should run for governor so you have more control over the appropriation of funds. and no one "belongs here" any more than anyone else, with the possible exception of full blooded american indians.

[know_buddy_kares]

maybe you should run for governor so you have more control over the appropriation of funds. and no one "belongs here" any more than anyone else, with the possible exception of full blooded american indians.

I'll be laughing at you when you loose your job to one of these people now you know...

*hides*

[BrassFusion]

I'll be laughing at you when you loose your job to one of these people now you know...

*hides*

Eh. My jobs require english skills and salesmanship skills and music skills, and it doesn't hurt that I look hot.

What do YOU do for a living again?

[know_buddy_kares]

Eh. My jobs require english skills and salesmanship skills and music skills, and it doesn't hurt that I look hot.

What do YOU do for a living again?

I'm in the army soon. Thats going to give me a decent path of living. And besides, how many part time jobs that require english skills actually follow that? I've been to plenty of gas stations and other places where it's obvious that the english requirement was thrown out the window.

[BrassFusion]

I'm in the army soon. Thats going to give me a decent path of living. And besides, how many part time jobs that require english skills actually follow that? I've been to plenty of gas stations and other places where it's obvious that the english requirement was thrown out the window.

well, i don't work with one person who can't sell people on extended warranties and other stuff they don't need. getting off topic though

am i one of those people who's never had an experience with an ESL person in a service job that I couldn't handle? hell, half my customers can't speak english properly and we usually manage to figure out together what it is they're trying to buy or ask or whatever.

[know_buddy_kares]

well, i don't work with one person who can't sell people on extended warranties and other stuff they don't need. getting off topic though

am i one of those people who's never had an experience with an ESL person in a service job that I couldn't handle? hell, half my customers can't speak english properly and we usually manage to figure out together what it is they're trying to buy or ask or whatever.

that's what you wanna do, persontally, I belive when you're in rome, do as the romans. So.. the army's gonna get me to europe as an engineer, from there I'll be taking college that relates to my job to get a really good career out there in europe when i get out... what's your job doing for you?

[Marblez]

My concern with this is the following:

If we can't tell who the damn insurgents are IN Iraq, why the hell would we agree to receive them here?? I thought we wanted to fight the war there so we didn't have to fight it here?

[BrassFusion]

that's what you wanna do, persontally, I belive when you're in rome, do as the romans. So.. the army's gonna get me to europe as an engineer, from there I'll be taking college that relates to my job to get a really good career out there in europe when i get out... what's your job doing for you?

you're fleeing your country to take advantage of what you see as a better financial opportunity in a nation where you don't speak the language, eh?

My concern with this is the following:

If we can't tell who the damn insurgents are IN Iraq, why the hell would we agree to receive them here?? I thought we wanted to fight the war there so we didn't have to fight it here?

we've been accepting immigrants from iraq for years now. I fail to see the increased risk.

and if we hadn't invaded iraq in '03, they wouldn't have attacked us. that's just what your administration wants you to believe- and I'm not a paranoid person. iraqis aren't all the "enemy." many of them are victims of circumstance. like... american democrats =)

[sass_in_the_pants]

So they're moving them to Warren because, what, it's safer there?

Um, have any of these people ever BEEN to Warren?

I'm just sayin.

If I left Iraq for a better life and landed in Warren I would be begging to get on the first flight back to Baghdad.

Sorry if anyone here lives in Warren, I've just had way too much trouble in that town.

[Reaper]

Yeah, you know some are going to end up getting into confrontations or crime just to get by. Most will keep their nose clean, but there are bound to be a group who breaks into something or robs someone point blank. I realize that this happens already within the american society, but now you are going to breed more hate toward these refugees if its found that one of them committed a crime. Personally, I think this world is coming toward a Holy War amongst a larger scale of problems.