The open-borders crowd gets Maryland tax money?

I alluded to this in my previous post, but I ran across this on Michelle Malkin’s website the other day. The Maryland-based group CASA has put out this pamphlet telling immigrants what to do in the event of an ICE raid. What bothered me most in her article (besides the pamphlet itself) was the passage:

CASA of Maryland receives tax subsidies from the cities of Baltimore and Takoma Park, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the state of Maryland, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (emphasis hers).

So I looked this up just to see what kind of dough she’s talking about. Well, according to information I found on CASA’s website, FY06 was pretty kind to this group, as their revenues totaled over $3.3 million. Of this amount, almost $1.5 million was credited to “government contracts” with most of the remainder coming from donations of some sort from various patrons and foundations.

A partial listing of the foundations includes sponsorship from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Four Freedoms Fund, the Fund For Change, Open Society Institute, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and three United Way chapters. Corporate donations flowed in from entities like Aetna and Citigroup (through their foundations), Freddie Mac, Microsoft, and Provident Bank, to name just a few.

But more troubling to me are governmental bodies that support this group that advocates silence when law enforcement attempts to uphold our immigration laws:

  • Baltimore City Council
  • City of Baltimore Mayor’s Office
  • City of Takoma Park (why am I not surprised?)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Maryland AIDS Administration
  • Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund (does CASA help with smoking cessation?)
  • Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Mid-County Regional Services Center – Montgomery County
  • Montgomery County Council
  • Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
  • Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs
  • Montgomery County Office of the County Executive (at the time, Doug Duncan, a 2006 candidate for governor)
  • Montgomery County Police Department
  • Montgomery County Public Schools
  • Prince George’s County Council
  • Prince George’s County Council Special Appropriations Funds (Councilmember Dernoga)
  • Prince George’s Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Prince George’s County Office of the County Executive
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Yet they use this funding of ours for activism like this:

As the movement for comprehensive immigration reform advances, CASA has emerged as a key player in organizing the immigrant community throughout Maryland to become civically engaged in the debate. In December 2005, after the House of Representatives passed the infamous “Sensenbrenner Bill” (H.R. 4437), CASA worked with over 40 organizations in Maryland, DC, and Virginia to re-establish the regional National Capital Immigration Coalition (NCIC).

On March 7th, 2006, 50,000 Latinos, immigrants, and supporters gathered at the Capitol to chants of “si se puede” (yes, we can). Marches erupted in cities throughout the nation – the movement for immigrant rights was growing strong. On April 10th more than 3 million immigrants and their supporters marched in 140 cities for comprehensive immigration reform. The 500,000 who marched in DC that day represented the highest number of participants in a demonstration in the last 30 years in Washington. While legislation for immigration reform died in House-Senate negotiations in 2006, CASA, the NCIC, and immigrant rights coalitions throughout the nation won important victories. CASA is proud to be a leader in the movement, representing the NCIC in national coalitions such as the “We Are America Alliance,” organizing press for the DC rallies, speaking and coordinating testimonies for the rallies, preparing community members to speak with directly with Senators, and mobilizing a significant percentage of the march participants at each rally.

The movement is far from over. As Congress picks up immigration reform again in 2007, keep an eye on CASA’s website (www.casademaryland.org) for ways to support this work.

In short, CASA’s philosophy reads to me as completely in favor of open borders:

CASA is counting on your support to achieve our vision – a vision of strong, economically and ethnically diverse communities in which all people – especially women, low-income people, and workers – can participate and benefit fully, regardless of their immigration status. (emphasis mine.)

In addition CASA has pleaded with the state for additional funding to renovate a historical building in PG County to become a “multi-cultural service center”. While the architect in me applauds the idea of reusing a historical building, with the assets CASA claims to have and with its current laissez-faire attitude about those who are breaking the law to enter the country, I say the state shouldn’t give them a dime. In fact, their bid for a $500,000 grant was shot down in this year’s General Assembly session; however, according to their application they’ve received $400,000 in the last two prior sessions.

Like many of monoblogue’s readers, Michelle Malkin lives in Maryland, and she’s hit even harder as more of her tax dollars go to support this group – while I’m not sure of her precise domicile, I’d feel pretty safe betting she resides in either Montgomery or PG County (both of which have assisted CASA financially.) And with this week’s revelations about a half-dozen “Jersey jihadists” who plotted to harm our soldiers training at Fort Dix, New Jersey (three of whom are known to be in our country illegally) this pamphlet put out by CASA sends exactly the wrong message about whose side they’re on.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

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