Posted on 08/23/2015 1:04:48 PM PDT by marshmallow
A Southern California nonprofit is running an "underground railroad" to assist Chaldean Catholics fleeing the turmoil in Iraq, its founder says.
Mark Arabo, a first-generation Iraqi-American, founded the Minority Humanitarian Foundation out of impatience with Washington's inability to deal with the crisis created by Islamic State militants, The San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1hRZj99) reported Saturday.
About 60,000 Chaldeans live in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon — after Detroit, the second largest concentration in the United States. While refugees have found a safe haven there, the friends and relatives they left behind in Iraq face what Arabo called "a Christian genocide."
President Barack "Obama is failing on this issue completely," he said. "Our Congress is turning a blind eye."
Arabo, 32, told the newspaper the group runs an "underground railroad" that transports Iraqi refugees into San Diego. He says the group also seeks to help other persecuted religious minorities.
The newspaper said 27 Chaldeans are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego. To date, 15 have been ordered deported, and five face criminal charges for entering the U.S. under false pretenses. Several had been granted asylum in other countries. Others were using aliases, a red flag when terrorists have vowed to attack America.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Because sending them back to ISIS would be like sending Jews back to NAZI Germany and I don’t think you would support that.
Please spare me the pity.
Why doesn’t the rest of the world stand up? It’s always on us.
I guess my heart has become hardened because I no longer care. The refugee thing has been abused to hell by the leftist bureaucracy in this country. And so somebody has to suffer.
I’m no longer willing to be that person in the form of my taxes.
Remember! These people are being allowed in here to become demonrat voters.
I no longer wish to participate in our cultural, societal, and national suicide.
I am getting sick of the nativist, rascist, anti immigrant views on here. I don’t like illegal immigration either. But providing safe harbor to refugees fleeing for their very lives has always been an American virtue and I can’t believe that we would turn our backs on our brothers and sisters dying for Christ. Especially when we disrupted their country and helped arm ISIS.
Buy the world a Coke.
Our survival as a culture, society and nation is at stake.
Get a grip.
(BTW, I’m Catholic, but his crap has to stop.)
I think these people will assimilate and obey the laws — even becoming legal citizens.
It’s not like what is happening elsewhere.
The Iraqi folks in El Cajon aren’t deadbeats.
They jumped in to help when Bush 43 attacked Iraq. They became translators for the military, and/or some moved back to help establish what they thought was going to be a new, democratic Iraq, allied with the US. It didn’t turn out that way, and a number of people who loyally served the US there have found that the US now won’t help them get out.
My brother (from El Cajon) served in Iraq for three years and he personally sponsored as many US-loyal Iraqis that he had worked with as he could, because there was no federal government program to help them get to safety and they and their families had targets on their backs, essentially.
We helped the Hmong leave Viet Nam when they needed it, in gratitude for their loyalty and service. Why should we not help Chaldean Christians?
Many of them have joined our church. It brings tears to my eyes to hear their testimonies (before baptism), and what they had to deal with in Iraq. My son helps teach the kids in Sunday School. That aside, it is kind of odd to see so many Middle Eastern businesses around. Things change fast.
You say you are Catholic.
I also am Catholic.
Your posts and your attitude do not represent me.
Thank you for this post.
Thank you for this post.
What do you mean they have joined your church?
They have their own.
St. Michael’s Chaldean on E. Washington and St. Peter’s Chaldean on Jamacha Way = both in El Cajon.
I remember helping the “boat people” in the 70’s. They were fleeing for their lives. Some of the many refugees were Catholic priests who are still alive and serving in parishes here now..
Iraqui Christians (of the Catholic Chaldean rite) are among the thousands fleeing for their lives.
I know several Chaldean’s.
In fact, I sold one of my liquor stores to a Chaldean businessman.
That particular liquor store is located in El Cajon, (of course).
:)
I’m sorry, I read the article too fast. There are Iraqis at my church, though.
http://www.shadowmountain.org/default.aspx?page=3400
Thanks very much.
Good to know!!!
God bless.
I also disagree with you. Sterling Heights, MI has 10,000’s of them too. My neighbours are Chaldean, hard working and good people. You’ll see stickers on cars around here, “Save Iraqi Christians”, along with blood-red crosses in their back yards symbolizing what is going on in their home country.
They also assimilate. My son joined the Marines out of high-school, which encouraged others in his class to do so as well - including a Chaldean. Their children play American football, basketball, etc.. and speak English.
If we’re going to let anyone in it should be them. These people have kept their faith and should be rewarded, they’re a tiny and oppressed/persecuted people in their homeland. The crime rate around here is low, they take their faith seriously. You’ll see statues of Mary in people’s front yards all over the place. It is not like Dearborn at all, full Churches everywhere.
I can’t see them as any different than immigrants from other Christian cultures. They’re an asset and cherish what they have here, nothing taken for granted. I’m not sure what else you’d want?
Thank you for this post. ;-)
On the other hand - unless there's some really effective screening going on, it isn't a far stretch to visualize some really bad folks getting snuck in with a great deal of anonymity...If we believe in the Constitution and the wrongness of illegals coming in, we also need to believe same here - else we become part of the problem via an attitude that the Constitution and other founding principles should have a "Noble Cause" clause...
But they are Christians/Catholics these Iraqi Christians.
True dat re Freddie Mercury!
He had a face made for radio.
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