Draining Taxpayers
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, June 26, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Recently, I asked the Office of Budget and Research, “How much money in the FY2015-16 budget is allotted to refugee resettlement in Georgia?” The answer, “$9,300,000, but it’s all federal money.” The state does not appropriate matching funds to get that amount, but after refugees arrive, state and local taxes provide welfare benefits, services and education.
Refugee resettlement is an international program powerfully influenced by the United Nations. Global entities determine which nationalities come, how many are selected, and where they settle. By 2012 Georgia’s refugee population had grown so much that Governor Deal asked for a 50-percent reduction in the number coming to Georgia every year. But, the governor’s wisdom was questioned by Mr. J.D. McCrary, executive director for the Atlanta office of International Rescue Committee, Inc. Note this interesting fact. Though Mr. McCrary is employed by an international business, his decision trumped the request of Georgia’s governor.
This is what he said, “Fifty-percent. That’s an enormous request and in fact it’s an unreasonable request. We’re really not sure what the Governor’s or the state’s reservations are over the arrival of new refugees.” So, he arbitrarily cut the governor’s request down to 20- to 25-percent and decided to send Georgia 2,500 refugees every year, instead of 4,000.Meaning, the International Rescue Committee has power (from whom?) to send any number of refugees to Georgia annually, regardless of the governor’s request, the cost to state and local government, jobs going to refugees instead of U.S. citizens, the impact on education, or the dilution of U.S. culture. Though the program is federally funded, the DFACS website says, “The refugees must become self-reliant in utilizing existing community resources to meet their basic needs,” a reference to unlimited, perhaps never-ending, tax burdens on local governments.
Cost for one county: Of fifteen Georgia counties with refugees resettled here in 2010, DeKalb had the most – 12,391; next was Fulton with 3,438. The 1,941 refugees resettled in DeKalb County in 2010 cost the state $2,116,546.51, and cost DeKalb another $2, 597,910.24. For that one fiscal year, state- and county-funded community services to only part (1,941) of the 12,391 refugees in DeKalb County totaled almost half-a-million dollars, plus the $7,445,718.25 federal money that got them here. Do the math to learn how big the drain on taxpayers is. New numbers were unavailable, but remember this. These numbers reflect the cost for only one county; Georgia has 159 counties; many already have refugee resettlements; and others will.
The resettlement population is divided into five categories: Refugees, those seeking Asylum, Vietnamese Amerasians, Cuban and Haitian Entrants, and Victims of Trafficking were added in 2000. Since then, that trafficking law has been amended three times. The Office of Refugee Resettlement focuses, specifically, on unaccompanied alien children, the LGBT rainbow welcome initiative, and resources for refugees receiving asylum. Share this information with your legislators. They need to be reminded that this is draining the tax base and destroying jobs. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.