Adopt-a-Refugee Plan Under Consideration by Obama Administration

[brooklynite]

Source: Bloomberg

Americans might be able to bring a refugee to the U.S. on their own dime if talks between the Obama administration and the nation’s leading refugee advocacy group come to fruition.

The U.S. Department of State is considering a pilot program that would let citizens sponsor a refugee from their country of choice by paying for airfare, housing, clothing, food and other resettlement costs. Conversations began in July and are expected to continue in the coming year, said Naomi Steinberg, director of the Refugee Council USA.

The program, modeled after a similar one in Canada, is designed to crack open new sources of funding as growing anti-refugee sentiment in Congress threatens to cut resettlement programs.

“It puts Americans in the driver’s seat,” said Matthew La Corte, policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, a Washington-based libertarian think tank that was an early supporter of the program. “It allows them to say ‘I have a spare bedroom. I was thinking of buying a new car but I’ll instead take that $10,000 and put it toward bringing a Syrian refugee over.”’

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-04/adopt-a-refugee-plan-under-consideration-by-obama-administration?utm_content=politics&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-politics

[Control-Z]

1. I would do that in a heartbeat

if my financial situation allowed. It's a great idea, imo.

[virgogal]

2. I'd rather give my money to a family that is already here----and homeless.

[eShirl]

4. please do!

[sinkingfeeling]

3. I would sponsor a Syrian refugee.

[Firebrand Gary]

5. I will raise the money, of need be! I hope this comes to fruition.

[cstanleytech]

6. They need to be careful with this though as some people and or corporations will

probably try to exploit the program for cheaper labor.

[pampango]

7. Does he think this is Canada? Such welcoming of refugees is way too liberal for the US!

Seriously, this sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Obama. Republicans will have a fit about it. That's a good thing.

[elmac]

8. I would do that in a heartbeat also!!!

I've have been trying to figure out how I can help these people and this may be the best way. Just watched a show about refugees in Turkey and how they live, worse then dogs and the abuse they take from the rightwing Turks. It just makes me so sad, so pissed.