The Antelope Valley Times

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L.A. County opts into refugee settlement program

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to welcome refugees seeking to resettle here.

Supervisor Hilda Solis recommended sending a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to affirm the county’s participation in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

“Refugees flee violence and war to seek safety and protection in other countries like the United States,” Solis said. “Refugees leave behind family and friends, and much of what they own, to escape persecution and death threats due to their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion.”

The number of refugees admitted to the U.S. has declined under the Trump administration. Since he took office in 2017 through September, about 76,200 refugees have been admitted, as compared with nearly 85,000 people admitted in the last full fiscal year of the Obama administration, according to a report by the Pew Research Center.

A cap of 18,000 has been set for 2020 and an executive order issued in September requires local governments to provide written consent to accept refugees.

The majority of refugees to the U.S. in 2019 came from Africa, many from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Pew study. Though patterns shift based on global events, over the long-term, the majority of refugees have come from Asian countries. Roughly a quarter of the 2019 immigrants settled in Texas, Washington, New York and California, with Texas leading by number.

Participation in the county’s Refugee Employment and Acculturation Services program has dropped by 70% since 2016, according to Solis. The program, which helps refugees attain economic self-sufficiency, is available to participants for up to five years after their arrival in the U.S.

The board also directed staffers to develop an outreach plan to increase awareness of the county program among eligible residents.

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38 comments for "L.A. County opts into refugee settlement program"

    • Hey, Tom

      Trump has given away billions to the rich and corporations in tax cuts and has you focused/distracted on this.

      Boy, it’s amazing how people who have been conned never realize it. It’s a double-whammy.

      These refugees didn’t cause the crash in 2008 or mistakenly invaded Iraq or have us stuck in Afghanistan forever or gave you Trump Tariff Taxes that you’ll pay for when you buy something.

      There’s more but that’s enough for now. You seem to be a slow learner.

      Just stay angry Tom till the election but your vote for Trump won’t count in California anyway and you’ll still be angry no matter which way the election goes. It’s a lose/lose for ya.

      • Since you brought up Afghanistan, William, maybe you should speed up your learning abilities. The sitting Presidents that have kept this war going include both political parties, yes, both. War is no longer a necessity but an addiction. Civilians are always killed and maimed along with the warmongers. Fleeing refugees only wanting to find peace, won’t find it here, only more heartache, and more homelessness, which has already reached a crisis level. Talking heads that only talk, trying to promote their party, and for what?

    • William…He has a right to express his opinion. Insulting those with different opinions seems to be the norm these days, though.

      • Read his post again. It was an outright lie not an opinion. We do not need Trump cozying up with dictators who play him and he gets nothing in return and who uses his office to fill his pockets. You certainly must know the rest.

        If Trump is retired next year he’s available for indictments by the Southern District of New York and hopefully prison. He’ll certainly match his orange jumpsuit.

        Tom is doing Putin’s work for him now as are many others.

        You can sit there and let it fester if you like.

        • Wow, I can tell that’s the real William. I don’t agree with anything he says about Trump, but I missed him saying it.

          • @Tom & InDepends.

            When shown a nighttime satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula in the Oval Office with officials from various agencies to advise him on North Korea’s covert nuclear facility, Trump thought North Korea, totally dark at night, was ocean.

            Then he said “Why is Seoul so close to the North Korean border.” followed by “Go move it.” Yeah, move 25 million South Korean a little further from nuclear missiles.

            They thought he was joking. He wasn’t. He repeated the order.

            Don’t you 2 want to be smarter than your president? If you think you are smarter yet still support him that’s quite a dilemma for you. Supporting him proves you aren’t.

            He’s being impeached y’know. I’m not sure you 2 are up on things.

          • this ongoing story about Russia or the Ukraine is very complex, and goes beyond a simple “true” or “false” grade. The truth certainly won’t be revealed on this “micro” forum.

        • William…Stop it! Everything on this public forum are opinions. Man, now you have Tom doing Putin’s work, so you are the one that has festering sores of exaggeration. Remember, this is a local (microcosm) public forum for all opinions, not just yours. You do know the U.S. has interfered in elections in the past, don’t you? Things are so convoluted at this point we will never know the pure truth.

          • The two powers, Washington and Moscow, have interfered in 117 elections around the world from 1946 to 2000. Of course, each side says for the betterment of their country. Meanwhile our troops are being maimed and killed in protracted wars that solve nothing. Our government, (both political parties), feed us lies to keep the war going.

          • The U.S. and U.S.S.R. once allies. Osama Bin Laden once our ally. All through history, once an ally, then an enemy.

          • @Wars that solve nothing

            You said the the U.S.S.R. and we have interfered in elections.

            When did a U.S. president invite and welcome interference from a foreign power in our elections other than Trump? Answer please.

            So far, Trump has invited Russia, Ukraine and China to interfere. Is that OK with you?

            As for Tom, I gave him my OPINION.

            The only difference between others and myself is that I don’t whine about peoples’ replies. I’ve been called all sorts of names here. So?

            I have NO FEELINGS when it comes to anyone’s replies here. I feel like I live in the Valley of the Ignorant when I read some of these posts.

            Go ahead. Fire away. I can take it. I’ve had this username for years while others hit and run never to be heard from again. Fine with me.

          • William…I didn’t vote for Trump. No, none of this is O.K.. It’s not O.K. for the U.S. to interfere with foreign elections, and causing coups to overthrow one dictator for another. It’s not O.K. to lie to out troops about the progress of a war. It’s not O.K. for Obama to send drones to Afghanistan and kill innocents. Both political parties are corrupt, but the people vote them into office. We’re getting what we deserve.

          • @Wars that solve nothing

            You conveniently overlooked that Trump has invited interference. That’s the difference right now.

          • William; I’ll let you obsess over Trump and his craziness. I don’t conveniently overlook anything when it comes to the craziness of both political parties, in the past and right now. I’m part conservative, part liberal, part centrist; I’m not right wing, nor left wing, nor am I a Democrat or a Republican. It’s your business if you want to be pigeonholed.

          • @Wars that solve nothing

            It looks like Trump will be impeached as I haven’t checked the teevee machine yet today to see if the Judicial Committee voted.

            Then, McConnell, who is working with Trump’s lawyers to coordinate their stories which sounds unethical, will see he’s not convicted in the Senate.

            Then, Putin, Kim Jong Un and the rest will likely do things we won’t like and Trump will do something so very egregious that the Republicans will want to impeach him.

            So, we’ll see. I keep wondering why people watch Game of Thrones when what’s going on in D.C. is even more fascinating and for real. Yes, Trump’s alternate universe is real for some.

            I’ve seen 3-dimensional chess sets but the other day I saw a 3-person set. Washington is like a 5,000 person 4-dimensional chess game in a coal mine at night. I hear a canary chirping.

            What could that mean?

    • Whatever happened to the poster using handle Trump 2020*? We could use his humor now more than ever.

  2. The government has yet to solve any issue it’s attempted to remedy.

    The fact remains the Antelope Valley is a [removed] hole

  3. Oh this is great news! I would love to have these people next door to me! We need to pay more property taxes so that we can support our new citizens.

  4. Too many illegal immigrants/refugees having too many babies without conidering the financial responsibilities thats required. They dont care that hard working Americans gotta fork out taxes on their behalf. They wont learn plain english to further themeselves out of stubborness. they,ve exploited and cheapened the American dreams and ways that Americans now struggle more than ever before to maintain. Simpletons cant live simple anymore with financial drama and B.S. being imposed on them. Already struggling American families now struggle way more to get food on their table. What many immigrant/refugees realy need are boxes and boxes of spermicidal condoms and a deep learning on sex education. That way they can take responsibility of maintaing a job and getting their life in order before they get horny, buttering bread and bringing innocent children into this world that’ll eventual mimic and repeat their disfunctional crap. If they cant keep their [removed] in their pants or skirt, if welfare keeps flowing like wine without responsibility being taken then its only gonna get worse than what it already is and at this rate, I can see myself being soilent green while my assets are being squandered off by the government for the ones I despise… Immigrant that dont take responsibity for their choices. Hell, they might even take over congress or become “law” enforcement. Wake up people! many of them want what you have earned without earning it. Its bad enough that there are enough scumbag tweeker Americans that want to turn your neighborhood into a crap hole. ENOUGH!

  5. Being a liberal I think it is a noble idea to help these poor people. I think we need to adopt another tax to help these people. Free food, medical, dental and housing,,, we hard working tax paying citizens need to to do more.

    • You are one ignorant person who gives a damn about these people I don’t give a damn about you now either

  6. What a SCAM…I can hardly believe what I am witnessing. There is an army of pols that work for illegal aliens and as an older white guy I am now on the endangered species list. I was brought up to obey the law and that we are a nation of laws…yet the reality is gate crashers and those that break the law are rewarded…it never ends.

  7. @Mike
    Taking on more than one can handle would cause one to #explode rather than #implode!

    But that is not the only defective analogy in your post.

    I mean, what sort of county tax are you (presumably an LA County resident) payjng that directly supports the County’s Refugee Settlement Program that you would like to have diverted elsewhere? And what does a refugee settlement program have to do with new businesses starting out or with keeping businesses in the county?

  8. Once again Los Angeles amazes me with it’s short term un thought out practices as we continue to take on more than we can handle.
    LA can’t keep taxing the people to pay for their poor decisions, there needs to be more programs for new business’s starting out and keeping business here in LA County, but I guess that does not sound as good on paper to our single political party.
    It can’t keep going like this forever…… #implode

  9. Keep them Out!!! These people can’t even fix the homeless problem. Don’t let anybody in until we fix the homeless problem.

    • @Ron
      Unless and until you show that you’ve made a marked effort to help solve the honelessness problem, you don’t get a say so on what is or isn’t being done by others.

      Oh… And whining about it online does not count!

  10. Given the homelessness situation & poverty in CA, along with many many ”illegal aliens” in CA which is approx. 2.8 million, this is the most ABSURD thing the County can do to the ”Citizens” of CA… We must take care of our own American Citizens & OUR VETERANS FIRST! These ”Refugees” don’t have the skills that employer’s desire, consequently, they’ll be given ”Govt. Welfare”, which the TAXPAYERS pay for! That’s not fair to those that are already homeless due the HIGH cost of housing, food, gasoline etc… AMERICAN’S FIRST!!

    • I am a retired senior struggling to make ends meet and I am so tired of the taxation and the snotty elites in this state hurting me with their stupid ideas. Everything now is the result of 12 years of get over it

  11. To hell with that immigrant woman that passed this must be a DACA kid Deport everyone of you we don’t need to keep supporting you and your goddamn kids on welfare and food stamps get the hell out stay home you know you weren’t threatening your country you just want to come to the USA so you can get free food in rent and a lot of beer to drink

    • @Sick In The Head….

      Spoken like a true Native American Indian…

      What you obviously do not understand is that “immigrant woman who passed this” didn’t pass it on her own. A vote was taken and obviously the majority of county board of supervisors votes YES.

      This is how a democracy works. If you don’t like it, GTFO!

  12. This news is splendid. All that’s needed now is a few thousand more food stamp clerks and it will be perfect.

  14. How about you tax LA county and use the funds to fix their country instead! In fact, take the California politicians that come up with these stupid ideas and send them to change things there as well.

  15. Excellent! It’s not like there is a homeless problem in LA County. I’m sure the increased demand for low cost housing by refugees won’t impact a single American citizen/veteran struggling to maintain housing. Even if it does force just a few more citizens into homelessness, I’m sure the government will come up with a solution soon.