See the history of Endeavors, formerly Family Endeavors and before that San Antonio Family Endeavors which was focused on taking care of veterans. That is, until the paying migrants came along! https://endeavors.org/history/
Earlier this month news broke that a little-known nonprofit, Endeavers, was awarded one for the largest contracts ever to help house and manage the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)flooding the US border.
By the way, the Biden feds have dropped the word ‘Alien.’
The story interests me since I have spent a lot of time over the years pointing out the millions of taxpayer dollars flowing to nonprofit refugee resettlement contractors (with inside tracks into government pots of money) for the initial care of the new Americans the Democrats are moving to Anytown, USA.
And, of further interest to me is the fact that the main player in this story touts on his resume his time with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service(LIRS) (one of nine federal refugee contractors I have been writing about for nearly 14 years).
Exclusive: Texas nonprofit got massive border contract after hiring Biden official
A Texas nonprofit that recently hired a Biden transition official got a contract worth as much as $530 million to help manage the influx of migrant children at the southern border, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The contract is by far the largest ever awarded to Family Endeavors. It’s potentially worth more than 12 times the group’s most recently reported annual budget — a sign of the demand the new work will place on its operations.
~The no-bid contract also is the second largest ever awarded by the agency overseeing the migrant child program.
~The award comes as the Biden administration rushes to deal with an influx of migrants at the border, including more than 21,000 unaccompanied minors currently in government custody, according to the latest data.
Between the lines: Family Endeavors won the contract just months after it hired Andrew Lorenzen-Strait as its senior director for migrant services and federal affairs.
Therein lies the rub.
Andrew Lorenzen-Strait landed his job at Endeavors (formerly Family Endeavors) in January straight off the Biden transition team following a stint with one regional Lutheran refugee contractor, and a little over six months at LIRS, the national organization.
He had spent years in the federal government, at ICE in fact, before hitting on this likely lucrative gig.
GOP lawmaker wants answers on massive border contract that went to nonprofit with ties to ex-Biden adviser
Republican Rep. Jim Banks is demanding answers from the head of the Administration for Children and Families after revelations that a nearly $530 million contract was awarded to a Texas nonprofit to help manage the influx of migrant children at the U.S. southern border — after the organization hired a former Biden transition official.
Andrew Lorenzen-Strait Senior Director for Migrant Services & Federal Affairs at Endeavors.
Axios first reported the contract, which is the largest ever awarded to the nonprofit, Family Endeavors, from the Department of Health and Human Services. The nonprofit also received a grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement worth $87 million.
Family Endeavors, according to the report, recently hired former Biden transition official Andrew Lorenzen-Strait to serve as senior director for Migrant Services and Federal Affairs. While working on the Biden transition team, Lorenzen-Strait reportedly vetted political appointees for HHS and worked on the DHS policy team.
Banks, R-Ind., in a letter obtained by Fox News directed to the acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within HHS, JooYuen Chang, questioned the timing of the grants and whether they were related to Lorenzen-Strait’s work.
“The two unprecedented and massive grants Family Endeavors received were approved by HHS and DHS—the two agencies Lorenzen-Strait oversaw while a member of the Biden transition team,” Banks wrote. “And both grants were no-bid contracts, meaning they were awarded directly to Family Endeavors bypassing the normal competitive process.”
Banks went on to call the grant “especially concerning” due to Lorenzen-Strait’s responsibilities on the transition team, and said it was “probable” that he “played some role” in Chang’s appointment.
Banks went on to accuse Chang of having “played some role in awarding Lorenzen-Strait’s firm about a half a billion dollars.”
“Some may view this as a conflict of interest,” Banks wrote.
Visit USA Spendingfor the skinny on grants and contracts….
Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this windfall for Endeavors, here is a screenshot from USA Spending of Endeavorsprevious federal funding and its huge payout (so far!) this year in the wake of Lorenzen-Straits arrival.
It almost makes you wonder if when Lorenzen-Strait came on board at Endeavors on January 25th, only a few days after the inauguration, that someone knew then that the rush on the border was about to be unleashed.
When I saw these mind-blowing numbers I had a good chuckle wondering why Lorenzen-Strait didn’t bring some of this payola to his pals at LIRS because LIRS is in the same business—getting the Unaccompanied Alien Children (aka New Americans) set up in America.
In 2018,Endeavors paid a top salary of around $300,000 in a year they raked in just over $40 million from American taxpayers. So, I can’t wait to see the salaries for this year with an anticipated half a billion coming in! Just saying!
Sure beats working for the likes of ICE. As I have said on many previous occasions: tell your kids to grow up to be execs at nonprofits funded by us—the taxpayers.
They only got on the federal gravy train four years ago with their little nearly $11 million dollar award. They surely haven’t had time to demonstrate any great track record of managing the mostly teenaged border invading ‘children.’
Uh-oh, is the bloom coming off the rose for the Biden Administration?
More importantly is Biden handling immigration so abysmally that his chances of getting any sort of comprehensive immigration reform (the holy grail for the Dems) diminishing with each photo of kids in cages.
Keep the photos coming!
Forget about the AP’s spin on the findings in their new poll, here at The Seattle Times, and look at the data they have dredged up.
Yes, Americans want the ‘children’ properly and safely cared for, but over-all they don’t support mass immigration.
I am assuming Harris, waiting in the wings to replace Chairman Joe when his health finally crashes completely, doesn’t want to be associated with Biden’s immigration mess and is thus hiding from their Ha! Ha! 81 million voters on the issue of border security.
Indeed what did their voters think they were getting.
AP-NORC poll: Border woes dent Biden approval on immigration
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans disapprove than approve of how President Joe Biden is handling the sharply increasing number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, and approval of his efforts on larger immigration policy falls short of other top issues — suggesting it could be a weak point for the new administration.
LOL! Don’t you just love the AP’s opening paragraph. No kidding! A weak point! Voters love Biden on everything AP wants you to know, but maybe not so much on immigration!
Here is the data:
Of course we expect those polled will virtue signal and say the kids, actually mostly teenagers, should receive safe treatment. That is not the big news here.
See how the AP spins this graphic below while the real takeaway is this:
A majority 53% of Americans say it is a high priority to have a secure border with another 31% saying it is a moderate priority.
Only 29% think that it’s a high priority to legalize those who came here illegally.
We demand to know if migrants will be placed in our towns!
While we are on the subject of polls, see the Washington Timesreport yesterday about a poll that shows that most Americans want notification, and an opportunity to say NO!, if illegal aliens will be moved by the feds into their communities.
Public wants veto over releasing illegal immigrants into communities: Poll
Americans overwhelmingly support giving communities a say in whether illegal immigrants will be released into their communities, according to new polling released Tuesday.
Nearly eight in 10 people said it was important “for authorities to inform and obtain elected community leaders’ approval before relocating migrants to communities across the country,” the survey found. Support for the idea was strong across all political ideologies.
Keep reading and see that 80% are also worried about the migrants bringing COVID in with them.
Even Biden/Harris’s own voters are increasingly unhappy with what they are seeing and just imagine how much higher the numbers would be if all of the mainstream media was honestly reporting on the border crisis.
Your assignment: continue to wrap the border crisis around the Dems necks, not just as a political tool, but because border security is essential to our very survival as a sovereign nation.
US waives FBI checks on caregivers at new migrant facilities
Of course it has a bunch of sob stories highlighted, but it is also baring some teeth!
HOUSTON (AP) — The Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks of caregivers at its rapidly expanding network of emergency sites to hold thousands of immigrant teenagers, alarming child welfare experts who say the waiver compromises safety.
In the rush to get children out of overcrowded and often unsuitable Border Patrol sites, President Joe Biden’s team is turning to a measure used by previous administrations: tent camps, convention centers and other huge facilities operated by private contractors and funded by U.S. Health and Human Services. In March alone, the Biden administration announced it will open eight new emergency sites across the Southwest adding 15,000 new beds, more than doubling the size of its existing system.
[….]
The Biden administration has 18,000 children and teenagers in its custody, a figure that has risen almost daily over the last several weeks.
These emergency sites don’t have to be licensed by state authorities or provide the same services as permanent HHS facilities. They also cost far more, an estimated $775 per child per day.”
$775 per child per day! You can get a good nursing home for $300 a day.
And, if 18,000 are in custody that amounts to over $13 million a day from your wallets via the US Treasury (or borrowed from China!).
AP continues….
And to staff the sites quickly, the Biden administration has waived vetting procedures intended to protect minors from potential harm.
[….]
Child advocates say that rather than opening more unlicensed emergency facilities, the administration must speed up placing children with sponsors, especially the approximately 40% of youths in custody who have a parent in the country ready to take them.
HHS has tried to expedite processing of minors in recent weeks, allowing some youths to be placed with parents while fingerprint checks are pending and authorizing the use of government funds to pay for airfare when a child is released.
The APincludes a sob story about a mother who wants her 17-year-old sent to her in Virginia. Of course, my first question is: why the heck did she leave him behind when she ‘made her way’ illegally into our country?
My second question is, how old is he really? Seventeen is conveniently the top age for the ‘children.’
See mypost in late Februarywhere I showed data from the Office of Refugee Resettlement that confirms that the vast majority of the little darlings are 15, 16, and 17-years-old (72 percent) and that 68% are males.
And, Biden admitted it here in his now infamous presser:
CBS, in a story yesterday, works hard to make sure the Biden/Harris administration is not to blame for the crisis on the border parroting Biden saying that it is all Trump’s fault.
The Administration, says CBS, sees it as simply a “formidable logistical challenge that can be solved by expanding bed capacity for the young migrants.”
If you watched Biden’s scripted, but still rambling, presser yesterday maybe this jumped out at you as it did me.
Although often losing his train of thought and reading from cue cards, he admitted that the “children” flooding our southern border are mostly teens. And, what he didn’t say is that they are mostly males.
I wondered if the open borders propagandists gasped at that admission since they want you to think of little adorable toddlers, not male teenagers that resemble an invading army.
See mypost in late Februarywhere I showed data from the Office of Refugee Resettlement that confirms that the vast majority of the little darlings are 15, 16, and 17-years-old (72 percent) and that 68% are males.***
I bet most of the supposed 17-year-olds are actually much older.
Everyone is fretting about where the mostly male teenagers will be housed right now, but my major concern is what happens to them as they are distributed across America and turn 18 next year or in the following year or two as few, if any, will be granted asylum.
(I explained, here at RRW, that most have no legitimate claim to asylum and refugee status.)
Guess what! They are not removed from the country!
Why are there never any questions about that?
Here is the CBS story (with no mention of Biden’s “mostly teenagers” slip-up) and as you read about these new facilities and the new 16,000 ‘children’ (nearly 12,000 of those are over 15-years-old) know that you are paying for all of this—both financially and as a society for years to come.
U.S. adding 16,000 emergency beds for record-high number of migrant children entering border custody
By repurposing convention centers, camps for oil workers and military bases, the Biden administration has launched an unprecedented effort to open more than 16,000 emergency beds for migrant children in response to historic numbers of unaccompanied minors entering U.S. border custody.
More than 16,500 unaccompanied migrant children were in federal custody as of early Wednesday. More than 11,500 of those children were being housed in shelters and emergency housing sites, while another 5,000 were stranded in overcrowded Border Patrol facilities, which the Biden administration has said are not appropriate for minors.
U.S. agents along the southern border are on track to apprehend more than 16,000 unaccompanied children in March, which would be an all-time high, according to an analysis of government records reviewed by CBS News. The previous record-high came in May 2019, when more than 11,000 unaccompanied minors entered U.S. custody along the southern border.
By the way, data at ORRshows that just over 15,000 were turned over to the agency in the Trump administration’s entire last year.
CBS continues….
To respond to the unprecedented spike in arrivals of migrant children traveling without parents or legal guardians, the U.S. government is on track to open at least nine emergency housing facilities within President Biden’s first three months in office. The Trump administration operated three influx housing facilities over four years, and only one of them is currently active.
Your tax dollars pay for it, but Texans gets the brunt of the invasion….
The facilities the Biden administration has opened or plans to open include two convention centers in Dallas and San Diego, as well as an arena in San Antonio. A camp for oil workers in Midland, Texas, has been converted into a makeshift shelter, while another in west Texas is set to start receiving children in April.
On Wednesday, an emergency housing installation for up to 500 children was erected near Carrizo Springs, Texas, where a Trump-era influx facility was reopened last month.
The Pentagon also announced late Wednesday it will allow HHS to use a dormitory at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and land at Fort Bliss in west Texas to house migrant children. The Lackland facility will be able to house 350 children, while Fort Bliss has capacity for up to 5,000, the administration told Congress on Thursday.
Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is also being evaluated as a potential site to house migrant children, the Pentagon confirmed.
***In case you don’t want to bother going to the data at the Office of Refugee Resettlement here are a couple of tables showing the age and sex breakdown of the UACs in recent years.
We are now in FY21, but you can see that over time the data has been consistent and I expect it to be roughly the same this year.
Although the Harris/Biden team is dodging the question, the crisis is growing on the Southern Border as thousands of mostly teenagers breach the border.
In January the message went out far and wide that America was now free for the taking!
Yesterday when I wrote my Refugee Round-up for the week at RRW, I linked the data on file at the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement about where the “children” were distributed to sponsors around the US.
(Only the numbers distributed are available. The data does not include those still in custody.)
In that round-up, I also explained that the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) are NOT refugees.
The data is only through January 31st so the full impact of the Biden-welcome has not yet been recorded.
Nevertheless, this list of counties is likely to continue to be the primary locations to suffer the most impact of the invasion.
By the way, see the UAC numbers that went to each state since 2014. I think you will be shocked and disappointed to see how large the numbers were for a few of Trump’s years in office.
Top welcoming states, for the mostly teenaged illegal aliens who will impact high schools (get your kids out!) and crime gangs, are: Texas, New York, Florida, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia.
A total of 7,207 UACs were distributed among all states in the first four months of FY21.
These emergency sites don’t have to be licensed by state authorities or provide the same services as permanent HHS facilities. They also cost far more, an estimated $775 per child per day.”
