Day: October 17, 2023

Chicago Gives Extra $9K In Rental Assistance To Immigrants In Need Of Housing, On Top Of $60M For Staffing

A migrant couple from Venezuela and their 15-month-old son rest in the lobby of a police station where they have been staying with other migrant families since their arrival in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
6:12 PM – Monday, October 16, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/chicago-gives-extra-9k-in-rental-assistance-to-immigrants-in-need-of-housing-on-top-of-60m-for-staffing/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Chicago is providing an additional $9,000 in rental assistance to immigrants in need of housing accommodations, having just paid a medical company an astounding $7.2 million for staffing local shelters for just one week, according to official documents released to the press.

After more than 18,000 illegal immigrants traveled to the state in recent months in order to find their new homes, the Windy City is now trying to house over 11,000 illegals in shelters and 4,000 who are currently sleeping at police stations and the O’Hare International Airport.

Chicago Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said that the state of Illinois will continue assisting with paying costs for temporary housing for migrants, including the additional $9,000 in rental aid over a six-month period to free up much-needed space.

She claims that the money will help with moving expenses and help immigrants receive government-funded apartment “starter kits,” which would contain furnishing supplies and more.

In order to assist immigrants in finding temporary lodging, the city has also allocated up to $4 million, while the state of Illinois has allotted an additional $38 million.

“That rent lasts for six months, and ideally people would have started their legal process, secured legal work authorization, and be able to sustain that apartment,” said Pacione-Zayas. “I guess the payment toward the landlord is based on market rate, it’s based on the configuration of the apartment. And so it varies from place to place.”

Meanwhile, according to NBC 5, a recent investigation found that Kansas-based “Favorite Healthcare Staffing” charged the city more than $7.2 million to provide additional staff to immigrant shelters for only four weeks.

After hearing about the staff’s high-paying invoices in December, the city seemed to lower hourly rates. However, the lowest staff rates remained at $50 per hour, while the highest was $156 per hour before overtime.

$1.4 million was allotted for the old Wadsworth School, $1.6 million for the Inn of Chicago, and $1.2 million for the Social Club shelter.

Furthermore, more buses from Texas were reported to be arriving carrying more asylum seekers, and the situation is not getting any better, local Chicagoans say.

41 more buses carrying asylum seekers arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border only last week.

This week, a border visit by Mayor Johnson (D-Ill.) and other city council members is already scheduled.

“We need to go assess the situation,” Johnson said. “This is serious. And I’ve been saying it. I mean this ain’t the first time you’ve heard me say how serious this dynamic is.”

Texas has been the primary source of immigrants arriving in Chicago over the past year, mostly at the command of Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas). The city’s current services were strained as more immigrants from a number of countries entered the U.S.

Officials acknowledged that the city needed greater assistance from the state and federal governments but failed to identify longer-term housing solutions.

Many immigrants come from Venezuela, where millions of people have fallen into poverty as a result of a political social, and economic disaster over the previous ten years. At least 7.3 million people have emigrated, braving a perilous journey to the U.S., Chicago officials said.

However, the influx of immigrants and the temporary shelters set up have angered many Chicago locals.

Following complaints and protests from Chicagoans who said that the facility had originally offered a safe area for the city’s youth, officials abruptly abandoned plans last week to convert a park’s football fieldhouse into an additional immigrant shelter.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) has now pleaded with President Joe Biden to steer foreign asylum seekers away from his state. Ironically, just two years earlier, Pritzker had referred to his state as the “Most Welcoming State in the Nation” and maintained that he would advance immigration rights.

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Pope Francis: ‘May humanitarian rights be respected, above all in Gaza’

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2023/10/pope-francis-may-humanitarian-rights-be-respected-above-all-in-gaza;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Like any standard-issue Leftist, the pope assumes that Israel will commit human rights violations in Gaza, but he doesn’t dare say a word about the possibility that those whom he has courted so assiduously for “dialogue” might engage in another orgy of slaughter against civilians, as they did on October 7. After all, he has claimed that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran reject any form of violence,” so he likely thinks that Oct. 7 was an anomaly that his pious friends won’t repeat.

Pope Francis and the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, in 2019 published “A Document On Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” Here’s one of its egregiously false statements:

Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride. This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements even using the media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions…

Terrorism is due to “an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression, and pride.” So when the pope sees the Hamas massacres in Israel, he sees something that needs to be addressed by wiping out hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression, and pride. We have to shower money and aid upon the poor dears, not defend ourselves against them.

Israel has taken exception to the papal myopia:

 

“Pope Francis calls for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza,” Reuters, October 15, 2023:

VATICAN CITY, Oct 15 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday called for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza and again appealed for the release of hostages held by the militant Islamist group Hamas.

“I forcefully ask that children, the sick, the elderly and women, and all civilians do not become the victims of the conflict,” he said at his weekly address to thousands of people in St. Peter’s square.

“May humanitarian rights be respected, above all in Gaza, where it is urgent and necessary to guarantee humanitarian corridors to help the entire population,” he said…

Turkey offers to mediate Israel-Hamas war, but faces scrutiny for hosting Hamas leaders

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2023/10/turkey-offers-to-mediate-israel-hamas-war-but-faces-scrutiny-for-hosting-hamas-leaders;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Turkey is reportedly facing scrutiny for “offering to mediate the crisis in Israel” because it previously hosted senior members of Hamas. But that’s not all that should immediately disqualify Turkey from any consideration for a mediation role. In 2019, it was revealed that Turkey was allowing senior Hamas operatives to plot jihad attacks against Israel from Istanbul. Then in mid-August 2020, Turkey was accused of giving citizenship to Hamas members who were planning jihad terror attacks, which Turkey denied. Just over a week after that, Turkish President Erdogan hosted a large Hamas delegation, including wanted jihad terrorists who murdered Israelis. And then in 2022, Turkey refused Israel’s request to expel Hamas, stating that it didn’t view the group as terrorist. Erdogan has also called Israel’s response to Hamas in Gaza a “massacre.” It was Hamas that carried out a massacre, while Israel fights for its right to exist.

Turkey has no place in any negotiations involving the Israel-Hamas war. It is also a strong Muslim Brotherhood supporter; Hamas is a Brotherhood offshoot.

But expect just about anything since Biden is in the Oval Office. The Turkish government is expanding its influence in the U.S. It recently purchased a multimillion-dollar building in Washington.

“Turkey Faces Scrutiny for Hosting Hamas Leaders,” by Dorian Jones, VOA News, October 12, 2023:

Turkey is offering to mediate the crisis in Israel. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces growing international scrutiny for hosting senior members of Hamas, designated by the U.S. and others as a terrorist organization. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Pentagon: 2,000 U.S. Troops To Be Deployed For Israel-Hamas War

GettyImages-1715983389-800x534.jpg

Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed and damaged building in the heavily bombarded city center of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip following overnight Israeli shelling, on October 10, 2023. Israel pounded Hamas targets in Gaza on October 10 and said the bodies of 1,500 Islamist militants were found in southern towns recaptured by the army in grueling battles near the Palestinian enclave. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
2:13 PM – Monday, October 16, 2023

The Pentagon has reportedly selected 2,000 U.S. troops to be prepared for deployment to help Israel in the nation’s ongoing war with Hamas.

Officials stated the selected troops would not serve in a combat role, but would instead be assigned to “medical support or advisory duties.”

2,000 personnel are stationed in other regions of the Middle East and Europe as well. However, it has not yet been determined what needs to happen in order for the group to be deployed, the Journal reported.

The announcement comes after the Pentagon revealed a second aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, will be placed in the eastern Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to send airstrikes into Gaza after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on the Jewish State, killing over 1,200 Israelis.

President Joe Biden was set to deliver a speech in Colorado regarding “Bidenomics” on Monday, however, he met with officials to discuss the efforts on the war in Israel instead.

“This morning, President Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed by their national security team on the latest updates in the wake of Hamas’s abhorrent attack in Israel and the resulting conflict in Gaza,” said a White House official.

Sources told the news outlet Axios that while Iran does not want the conflict to escalate, it is prepared to intervene either directly or indirectly, with a possible military group in Syria or Lebanon.

Since the war began, Israel has called up around 360,000 reservists as it prepares for a ground invasion into Gaza.

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Hamas Top Dog: ‘We Made Them Think That Hamas Was Busy With Governing Gaza’

In Islam, war is deceit.

 by 

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/hamas-top-dog-we-made-them-think-that-hamas-was-busy-with-governing-gaza/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.


[Editor’s note: Make sure to read Robert Spencer’s contributions in Jamie Glazov’s new book: Barack Obama’s True Legacy: How He Transformed America.]

According to a hadith, Muhammad said, “War is deceit.” (Bukhari 4.52.268). Anyone who quotes this, however, has been condemned as “Islamophobic” by all the “experts” who believed Hamas. Will they learn anything now? No.

“Senior Hamas Official Ali Baraka: We Have Been Secretly Planning The Invasion For Two Years; Russia Sympathizes With Us, Benefits From U.S. Embroilment In This War; Any Swap Deal Should Include Hamas Prisoners In Europe And The U.S.,” MEMRI, October 8, 2023:

Senior Hamas official Ali Baraka said in an October 8, 2023 interview that aired on Russia Today TV that Hamas had been secretly planning the invasion of southern Israel for two years, even as it was making it seem like it was busy governing the Gaza Strip. He explained that this is the reason Hamas did not join the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in its previous round of fighting against Israel. He said that Hamas notified its allies in other Palestinian factions, in Hizbullah, in Iran, in Turkey, and in Russia only after the invasion started, and he stated that any prisoner exchange deal should involve Hamas prisoners held in the United States. Later in the interview, Baraka said that Hamas has a license from Russia to locally produce bullets for Kalashnikovs, that Russia sympathizes with Hamas, and that it is pleased with the war because it is easing American pressure on it with regard to the war in Ukraine.

Ali Baraka: “The zero hour was kept completely secret. A limited number of Hamas leaders knew it. The number of people who knew about the attack and its timing could be counted on one hand.

[…]

“In the past couple of years, Hamas has adopted a ‘rational’ approach. It did not go into any war, and did not join the Islamic Jihad in its recent battle.”

[…]

Interviewer: “But all this was part of Hamas’s strategy in preparing for this attack.”

Baraka: “Of course. We made them think that Hamas was busy with governing Gaza and that it wanted to focus on the 2.5 million Palestinians [in Gaza], and has abandoned the resistance altogether.

“All the while, under the table, Hamas was preparing for this big attack.

[…]

“The rockets of the resistance cover all of Palestine. Where would [Netanyahu] take [the Israelis who were attacked]? To Tel Aviv? We bombed Tel Aviv on the very first day of the attack. Does he want to take them to the Galilee? The northern front – with Lebanon – has opened today. The Galilee is no longer safe for the Zionist enemy. We can bomb the Galilee from inside occupied Palestine.

[…]

“In order to keep the attack secret and successful, the different factions and our allies did not know the zero hour. But after half an hour, all the Palestinian resistance factions were contacted as were our allies in Hizbullah and Iran. The Turks were also notified, and a meeting was held with them three hours later, at 9 am. We updated anyone who contacted us. Even the Russians sent a message and enquired, and they were updated about the situation and about the goals of the war.”

[…]

Interviewer: “There are also Palestinian prisoners outside of Israel, in European countries.”

Baraka: “There are also prisoners in the U.S. We want them. Of course. There are Hamas members sentenced for life in the U.S. We want them too. Of course. We demand that the U.S. free our sons from prisons. The U.S. conducts prisoner swaps. Only recently, it did one with Iran. Why wouldn’t it conduct a prisoner swap with us? After all, it is participating in this war. Biden, the highest authority in the U.S., declared that he stands with Israel against Hamas and the Palestinian people. Therefore, he is a partner in this aggression, he must pay the price.

[…]

“The Israelis are known to love life. We, on the other hand, sacrifice ourselves. We consider our dead to be martyrs. The thing any Palestinian desires the most is to be martyred for the sake of Allah, defending his land.

[…]

“We have been preparing for this for two years. We have local factories for everything. We have rockets with ranges of 250 kms, 160 kms, 80 kms, 45 kms, and 10 kms.

“We have factories for mortars and their shells. We have factories for manufacturing B-7 and B-10 guns and their shells. We have factories for manufacturing Kalashnikov rifles and their bullets. We have a Russian license to produce Kalashnikov bullets in Gaza.

[…]

“Our allies are those that support us with weapons and money. First and foremost it is Iran that is giving us money and weapons. There is also Hizbullah, and the Arab and Islamic people who are standing by us. There are countries that support us politically. Even Russia sympathizes with us. Even the Russians sent us messages yesterday morning. They sympathize with us. Russia is happy that America is getting embroiled in Palestine. It alleviates the pressure on the Russians in Ukraine. One war eases the pressure in another war. So we are not alone on the battlefield.”