IRLI sues the Obama Administration for records related to its unlawful refugee programs

Holding the Executive Branch Accountable to the Rule of Law

(June 16, 2016 — Washington, D.C.) - On behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the Obama Administration’s unlawful and politicized refugee programs. (Federation for American Immigration Reform v. Department of Health and Human Services, Civil No.1:16-cv-01163). The records being sought span five separate requests, each of which have been stonewalled by the agency.

Under U.S. immigration law, only those who face persecution on account of “race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” can be admitted into the country as a refugee. The refugee law does not cover those fleeing from “high-crime” regions of the world, such as Central America. The Obama Administration, however, has used this premise to establish the “so-called” In Country Refugee/Parole Program for Central American Minors (CAM) program, which uses taxpayer-dollars to actually fly-in Central American juveniles to be “reunited” with their mostly illegal alien-parents and potential legal guardians residing in the country. It’s believed over 100,000 have entered the U.S. through the program so far. Through its FOIA request and lawsuit, FAIR is building a case that clearly shows the Obama Administration’s violation of U.S. refugee law as well as executive parole authority, which it’s also misusing to facilitate the unlawful CAM program.

FAIR’s requests also cover communications between key officials within HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and refugee advocacy groups and contractors (many of whom these officials previously worked for), communications between the White House and ORR regarding the Syrian refugee program, records relating to the agency’s monitoring of refugee resettlement-contractors (which is reportedly grossly insufficient), as well as certain cooperative agreements between the federal government and several refugee advocacy groups sponsored by open-borders globalist, George Soros. It is hoped much of the information (so far unlawfully withheld by HHS) will, for instance, assist state governments wishing to put a halt to the Administration’s plan to take in “refugees” whose mass influx will put further strain on their already burdened school, health care and welfare systems. 

IRLI Executive Director, Dale L. Wilcox, commented, “The records we expect to obtain in response to our suit we hope will raise public awareness regarding Obama’s lawless, open-borders policies, and assist states across the nation who must bear the burden.” Wilcox continued, “It is average working Americans who are being affected by these programs and it is they who are naturally and rightly concerned for the social cohesion of their communities, for the fiscal strains on their states’ budgets, and for the sanctity of our immigration law.”

The complaint is attached here.