Voices

Can Vermont communities afford refugees?

WESTMINSTER WEST — Residents of Rutland have all the right in the world to be worried about the influx of the 100 refugees being placed in their community.

If they oppose them, they are called racists or bigots.

No, they are concerned citizens worried about what will happen to their community as the result of the arrival of a group of individuals who have no skills, who have language differences, who have a different religion that forbids the assimilation into other cultures, and who will be dependent on the taxpayer to support them!

All over the U.S. these refugees are being “seeded.” What will they grow into?

Critics of the “pockets of resistance,” another derogatory name given to citizens resisting the influx of refugees, don't realize (or don't care about) the burden these refugees place on an already stressed-out community. Lack of jobs (even for the citizens), educational costs (more than 20 languages in some communities), and welfare costs are not figured in the placement of these people!

Did you know that nine charitable organizations make huge amounts of money from the resettlement of refugees? It has nothing with humanitarianism. It boils down to money! It is really a form of human trafficking!

I wish to take issue the Statehouse's statistic that 77 percent of refugees are women and children - that is just not true!

According to the UNHCR (the United Nations' refugee arm), 52 percent of refugees are men and 48 percent women and children. In Europe, 75 percent are men and only 25 percent women and children!

According to Office of Refugee Resettlement data from 2008 to 2013, more than 90 percent of the refugees are on some sort of federal or state aid; 73 percent are on Medicaid, 63 percent on cash welfare, and 91 percent on food stamps.

What will be the lifelong cost to our towns in state aid to the refugees? Can we afford it?

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