Welcome Corps Meeting Report

Another Report by Dawna Howard

These are the notes I took from the resettlement meeting held on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 .  

It was hosted by a couple from Idaho Falls in conjunction with the US department of State.

The organization is Welcome Corps!  This is not a city ran program but will have much impact on the city, our taxes and our way of life.

Private/Public Sponsorship Program

You can check out information through Welcome Corps and Bridge Builders on FB and Google

Functions of this PPP....finances/employment, housing/transportation, documentation, language/clothing, medical

It is a fundraising organization......requirements include but are not limited too:

$2425 /person

90 day commitment 

Must participate in sponsorship essentials training course

The people you are "sponsoring" have already gone through the vetting process, seeking asylum and just waiting in a camp somewhere to be accepted into a program.

They are looking for at least 5 people sponsorship groups, for fundraising, to bring refugees seeking asylum to the United States. Most come solo and work to bring their families over after they have integrated.  So it will not just be a few it will turn into many. 

My thoughts:

It will take way more than $2425 to provide them with the basic needs for one month

After the 90 days what happens to them?  Are they just left to fend for themselves, using our underfunded, understaffed local agencies for "benefits"....denying our taxpayers the right to use them AND when they need more services locally, who will fund that?  THE TAXPAYERS!!!

This is NOT a sanctuary city per se....but definitely the beginning of one. Twin Falls is a sanctuary city and they have been fighting it for at least 20 years if not longer.  They bring their "war" with them, girls get raped, they get priority for housing, school, college and social benefits.    

I sounds like to me that the Federal Government no longer has funds to manage this program so they are putting into the hands of the citizens.

I am not sure what we can do to shut it down since it is private but once we let them in....they will come.

I do not want you to think that I do not have sympathy for refugees seeking asylum.  I believe that they should be given a chance at a new life. I have witnessed and been apart of citizenship hearings, sponsorship of families.  A family that I view as my "family" (from Japan yes I speak a little Japanese) just received  their US citizenship after much hard work and dedication using their own money, education and work visas after more than 10 years!  It was a monumental moment for us to share but 10 years is hardly 90 days. 

90 days and $2425 are unrealistic numbers. 

I believe they should be given English classes and a work visa (that is how the people I know did it) and become tax paying citizens and not a benefit "eating" community. 

We all ready have an understaffed/underbudgeted first responder department.  Who is going to bear the burden of keeping our neighborhoods safe WITHOUT tax payers footing the bill?

I shared the  information from the meeting but remember my thoughts are MY OWN and by no means does it mean you need to agree with me. This a situation where you need to research and decide for yourself your own thoughts. Education is mandatory moving forward!

Anyone else who attended this meeting and has other thoughts, ideas or different perspective than I left with please share those with me as well.

Dawna Howard, Founder

CCofIF Conservative Coalition