Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is a national faith-based organization with an 80-year history, a budget of over $55 million per year, and over 80 headquarters staff. She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry. Now the Trump Administration has issued an executive order which allows states and localities to ban resettled refugees? Miliband said: "The US government is failing in its most basic responsibilities, never mind as a global leader but as a local example of how a civilized country should behave". )50, In February 2020, HIAS announced that "the U.S. government entered into a major settlement with plaintiffs in Jewish Family Service v. Trump, a lawsuit filed in 2017 that challenged the third version of a ban on certain refugees entering the United States. McCullough has overseen the agency's concentration on sustainable access to food and water in the face of climate change. An internal email obtained by Breitbart News confirms the source’s claim of an external investigation at LIRS. 4 Rim-Saraha Laouane, (@RimSarah), "More #racism towards Black people/POV on French TV on CNEWS. Compensation: Lavinia Limon, president and CEO: Compensation: Eskinder Negash, executive senior VP: reportable Compensation from the organization: $234,252; estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations: $14,900; Total operating revenues, gains and other support: $92,399,362, Government contracts and grants revenue: $48,482,684 (. 12 Mark Krikorian, "Refugeees and Local Control", National Review, January 13, 2020. Mr. Breene previously held senior roles at businesses worldwide, including Kingfisher PLC, Guinness PLC, WCRS PLC, and McKinsey. 80 "California bishop elected first Latino head of U.S. bishop's conference – EWTN News Nightly", Youtube, November 12, 2019, updated January 23, 2020. The revenue to LIaRS from this arrangement brings in an estimated $500,000 which is NOT reported to the IRS as Unrelated Business Income as required,” the source alleges, calling this concealment of taxable income. Fax: 508-754-1393 Web site: LSSNE Refugee and Immigration Services; Immigration Legal Assistance Lutheran Social Services Center of New England 20 "Church World Service (CWS)", website homepage. 36 Anna M. Alejo, "Central American refugees in Costa Rica", FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, May 1990. ", Newsweek, January 29, 2020. … Prior to his appointment by the Obama Administration, he served as the vice president and chief operating officer of USCRI. “LIaRS built and manages a database of refugees being resettled in the U.S. called IRIS and quietly ‘licenses’ this out to at least four other agencies (IRC, HIAS, CWS, and EMM) on a fee for service basis. In a January 20, 2020, op-ed titled "The Legality of Trump's Assault on Refugees", Miliband wrote: Refugee resettlement has traditionally been a bipartisan issue. But there were so many people to help us. Howard University would neither confirm nor deny that Hoyer had an undergraduate degree from the school. 57 "Oppose President Trump's ban on refugees", International Rescue Committee website, January 26, 2017 (Last updated February 3, 2017). 66 "LIRS Appoints Krish O'Mara Vignahrajah as President and CEO: Choice Represents a New Generation of Leadership", Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service website, February 13, 2019. The agency was "searching for a new director, as the incumbent has been promoted to a senior position on the presiding bishop's staff."33. … One wonders why they chose the coldest place in the United States. 74 "The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) Statement on the Proposed Executive Order Closing the Door to Legal Immigration", USCRI website, accessed April 21, 2010. 64 Michael Patrick Leahy, "Source: Claims of Financial Mismanagement, Fraud, and Harassment at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Spark External Investigation", Breitbart, November 11, 2017. (4. ) This executive order which was so un-American by slamming the door in the face of refugees when they need it the most." Breitbart News believes that claim to be true based on additional evidence the source provided. A subcommittee of the Board was formed, which would hire outside legal counsel to conduct interviews with staff and report back to the Board.”, According to the source, “None of the three LT [Leadership Team] members who approached the Board or the dozens of staff they were representing believe that the Board investigation will result in real change,” continuing, “This is due to the fact that Hartke largely controls the Board through her filtering all Board applicants that the Executive Committee considers for appointment, the separation she maintains from her Leadership Team and the Board by limiting their interactions with the Board, and the fact that complaints have been filed in the past with the Board resulting in nothing. Only Gov. Since 1982, Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) has provided refugee support to more than 200,000 families who fled religious and political persecution, among other types in oppressed countries. IRC later issued a press release applauding the Fourth Circuit ruling against the travel ban: We are very pleased that the 4th U.S. 32 Mary Frances Schjonberg, "Trump's immigration policies force reduction of Episcopal Church's refugee resettlement network", Episcopal News Service, April 4, 2017. "72 Negash is himself a refugee himself from Ethiopia.73. LSF helps newcomers from all regions of the world resettle in communities throughout Florida. (6.) Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Baltimore, MD. Breitbart News has asked LIRS Board Chairman Michael Rinehart, LIRS Board members Evelyn Soto and Evan Moilan, LIRS spokesperson Danielle Bernard, former LIRS Chief Human Resources Officer Cecilia Hoyer, and LIRS CEO Linda Hartke for comment about the claims this source made. Compensation: Mark Hetfield, president and CEO: Government grants (contributions): $422,902,511 (. Careers. John L. McCullough, president and CEO: reportable compensation from the organization: $272,131; estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations: $81,095; Total support, revenues, gains and other income: $ 66,496,191, Government grants (contributions): $12,273,728 (. âThe Adequacy of the Department of Health and Human Servicesâ Efforts to Protect Unaccompanied Alien Children From Human Traffickingâ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations . [Emphasis added.]37. Stevenson [Mark Stevenson, EMM's director at the time] has said that 90 percent of the contract money directly goes to resettling refugees. Hartke’s salary also jumped from $182,270 to more than $293,000 last year (note this does not include her 9 percemt employer retirement plan contribution, 100% employer paid health care, and paid time off). … Local support for newly arriving refugees in the communities where we work is already robust and clear. But sometimes, there is no home for them to go back to. 8 "Report to Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2020", U.S. Department of State, undated. "54, Born in London, Miliband is the "eldest son of immigrant parents, Belgian-born Marxist sociologist Ralph Miliband and Polish-born Marion Kozak, both from Polish Jewish families. "This decision will substantially hamper the vital work of Episcopal Migration Ministries to show the love of Christ to some of the most vulnerable people in the world" said The Rev. 38 "Episcopal Church Statement on the White House Decision to Reduce the U.S. Attempts to change the culture or de-silo our work environment consistently fall well short of their stated goals. From 1999 to 2011, he was a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Accenture, and he was the founding CEO of that firm's global digital marketing enterprise, Accenture Interactive. The purpose of this meeting was to come forth under the protection of the LIaRS Board-approved Whistleblower Policy to report on unethical behavior being practiced by the CEO Hartke in the course of her management and oversight of the organization. Breene responded to what has been reported as the "Trump Plan to Enact a 'Virtual Shutdown' of Refugee Admissions" and called the plan an "attack on Christian values". As of September 2017, LIaRS remained out of compliance on all these past three years of audit finding. It sends the wrong message to turn our backs on refugees who could enrich, strengthen, and revitalize our cities and towns. Breitbart: A source with first-hand knowledge tells Breitbart News that financial mismanagement, fraud, and harassment are so widespread at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), one of the countryâs largest refugee resettlement agencies, that the board has called for an external investigation ⦠Under President Trump, annual refugee resettlement has dropped from 84,995 in President Obama’s last full year (FY 2016) to slightly over 53,000 in FY 2017 to a presidential determination of a ceiling of 45,000 in the current fiscal year, FY 2018, which began on October 1. This settlement requires the government to expedite the refugee resettlement applications of over 300 refugees who were affected by the ban. (Emphasis added. Breene said: "Americans of faith should recognize and respond to this assault on our call to protect the 'least of these' — especially as a country where most citizens profess to be Christians." Thus, as a general matter, refugees are not resettled in states that do not have any local affiliates or in parts of states that do not have local affiliates within an allowable distance. On February 7, 2017, HIAS and the International Refugee Assistance Project, with legal representation from the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center, filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Trump's executive order on "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" that ordered a review of the U.S. "74 Negash said: It is in the best interests of our country to restore historic levels of immigration to fuel our economy, enrich our way of life and adhere to the values and principles that have made America a global leader. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is a organization that provides assistance in the form of Charitable Organization. Financial data from their website for the year ending September 30, 2018: After Lavinia Limon retired as CEO and president of USCRI, effective October 13, 2017, after over four decades of service, the board of directors appointed Eskinder Negash as acting chief executive officer. John L. McCullough, president and CEO: Reportable Compensation from the organization: $268,350 Estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations: $77,016 Total: $345,366 From their website: Year ended June 30, 2017: Total support, revenues, gains and other income: $96,723,739 Government support: 68,448,159 (70.8 percent) Again, Toulouse's query was well founded. "56, IRC has been an outspoken critic of President Trump's efforts to pause the refugee resettlement program for assessment. … Ending this program without a replacement action threatens the future of young undocumented immigrants brought to America as children. The darkness of this day will extend for years, if not decades, to come. [Emphasis added. Again, both were given large severance payments in exchange for their silence and signatures on agreements. 56 "About David Miliband", International Rescue Committee website, undated. This began with her leading the ouster of 25 year senior staff member Annie Wilson in 2016 and then followed with she and Moritz pushing longtime CFO Jane Anthon out later that same year. 14 Feb 2018 84. But IRSA is a ghost. The Rev. We will not allow this Administration to further endanger children and families by exploiting fears and stoking nationalism. The VP Programs even wrote that the monthly travel was not required for the employee … to do her job and requested that she stop the visits. Anyone considering this organization should be aware of this article from Breitbart on 11/11/2017, "Source: Claims of Financial Mismanagement, Fraud, and Harassment at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Spark External Investigation." Lastly, it has tried to give localities a choice about whether they want to be part of the federal system. Call your members of Congress." The full details are below, but here's a summary of what I found: These resettlement agencies are funded, for the most part, by the U.S. government. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) $140,000. The courts have been key to preventing the enforcement of President Trump's hasty and harmful executive order. (Emphasis added.)85. In an appearance on French television at the end of May, French-American journalist and author Anne Toulouse reacted to the violent protests that followed the death of George Floyd in the United States. [Emphasis added. [Emphasis added.]61. Following reports stating that President Trump was about to announce new border controls because of the coronavirus,29 McCullough issued the following statement in response to what he called "reports that the administration seeks to violate U.S. and international law by turning back all asylum seekers at the southern border" (emphasis added): The administration's decision is wrong and immoral and will endanger more lives.
lutheran immigration and refugee service investigation