DAVENPORT – The mayor of a major Iowa city has reached out to the Obama Administration in Washington, DC and offered the help of his city and its volunteers in helping some of the thousands of children that have massed at the southwestern border of the United States.
Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba reached out to local media last week and acknowledged that he had made overtures to President Obama about helping and “welcoming” immigrant children who are trying to cross into the United States. The situation in Texas and elsewhere has become dire; men, women and children from Mexica and Central America are desperately trying to enter the U.S. A humanitarian crisis has developed, and the issue has become even more controversial than ever, as the President has designated billions to try to alleviate and avert a further catastrophe.
“Apprehensions and processing of children and individuals from Central America crossing the border in the Rio Grande Valley have continued at high rates,” the White House said last week. “The Administration continues to address this urgent humanitarian situation with a whole-of government response” and about $3.7 billion in aid was designated to focus on deterrence (increased detainment and removal of adults with children); enforcement, (enhanced interdiction and prosecution of criminal networks, increased surveillance);
foreign cooperation (improved repatriation and reintegration, stepped-up public information campaigns) and capacity (increased detainment, care, and transportation of unaccompanied children).
Mayor Gluba, a 71-year-old second-generation Irish-American who was active in the civil rights movement and a former state senator, told news outlets in the Quad Cities that law enforcement at the southwestern border have “got [detained persons] basically in confinement along the Texas border and in other cities, and it’s probably overwhelming the system, so [the federal government] is looking for help. I think Davenport and the people of Davenport will help. We are a welcoming country, and I said, ‘Something’s got to be done about it. Let’s start the process,’” he said.
One of the volunteers assisting in Mayor Gluba’s initiative is Nora Dvorack, the former director of the Refugee Resettlement Program for the Diocese of Davenport.
She told WhoTV.com that “First of all, it’s an attitude of welcome — that these are special people, special children; they’ve gone through traumatic experiences, and they need special care, and we need to be able to provide that.”
Meetings between Gluba and volunteers are set to commence this week in Davenport.
It’s just amazing the amount of hate spewing from some com-mentors. This is a country of immigrants. I’d like to make a transfer. We hand over our white trash in exchange for Mexican kids. Now you’re improving the country.
@SUCKS-Good idea for a change. How soon can you be packed. We will have a buss leaving in the morning and you will feel right at home with the rest of the white trash.
We need to think about where our families came from. My great gparents came from Prague, Bohemia. The other side from Ireland and Norway. In fact, my grandpa Greenan was born on the ship on the way to Ellis Island. They made great contributions to this community. You never know who these children will become, what they will do. I would rather take a chance on these folks, than some of our imports from Chicago and Detroit..Our taxes are paying for them everyday in welfare and court costs.
@Marybeth-I am pleased to hear about your family. I will bet they came here legally and paid their taxes aand their dues. They did it the right way and took a hell of a chance doing it. I have as much or more symathy for the Mexicans than most, and I know from talking to my family that the Mexicans that came here legally resent the hell out of the illegals. They have no skills and will do nothing but increase those welfare rolls you are talking about.
Charrity starts at home! Its wrong to FORCE our tax paying citizens to support in every sense of the word children and families that aren’t our own and not even citizens of this country and then grant them rights and priveleges that they’re not even entitled to such as privacy and in some cases better housing than our own poor get and new clothes while our own have to be satisfied with salvation army vouchers! We have veterans that have died while waiting for medical care and are homeless!
I bet you had no problem with spending $6 trillion on the Iraq war though! Oh yea, I can tell you’re really concerned about the money.
@hesh-the Iraq war has absolutely nothing to do with this. This is all brought on by your law breaking president.
First of all, it’s our exporting of the drug war that causes all this in the first place. We need to clean our own house first. We don’t because we earn off the drug war from money laundering for the banks to paying for rebels in foreign lands.
Con’t: I have two grandsons a little older than him and they are healthy, happy, safe, in school with bright futures ahead. This just makes my heart break — how can we Americans who are some of the luckiest people in the world not take these children. They did not ask to be born and now they are being starved and made to suffer. I’m just one person but unless we all have compassion for these people there is no light at the end of the tunnel for any of them.
Cont’d: His father had learned things here and when he got back he opened his own little store to provide for his family. He dealt with many robberies and harassment from thugs and finally he was shot to death. This boy was the nicest looking young man and well spoken. He says he will probably be killed if he stays and wants to try to come back into the US. But, on the other hand, he needs to stay and take care of his mother and little siblings. I wish you could have seen and heard him.
Mary Beth: I watched an item on TV the other day. A young 16 yr. old boy from El Salvador had come to St. Paul, MN years ago with his family because they were in imminent danger of being killed by murdering drug dealers in their neighborhood there in El Salvador. He said boys his age were being murdered and shot just because they wouldn’t join a gang. After their visas expired they (family of 3 children and mom and dad) were sent back by the US.
Compassion is a dirty word on this blog site. This is about innocent children. It goes way beyond politics, party lines and policy. All of that can be worked out while the children are taken care of. To say that we let the children live in packed shelters like little dogs The children are pure and have souls. And, this has nothing to do with being liberal. It has to do with us trying to be Christ’s heart and hands here on earth. God bless the children..
It’s not a dirty word to me. Some of the bloggers here inject politics into everything. It is an “us versus them” mindset, and they throw logic and reasonable thought out the window simply to try to score some kind of idiotic victory for whatever party they belong to. They are prisoners of a dead thought pattern. Break free from the political party mindset and think for yourselves; use common sense, I would offer to them, instead of the relying on the poisonous dogmatic views of a party that only serves the very few.
@Matt-I have relatives that immigrated here from Mexico and it took them years, but they did it the right way. Applied for and learned English and took test to get in. They waited their turn and did it legally. They are very upset that law breakers can come here and the very first thing they do is violate our laws and then people want to allow them to jump ahead in line. Many thousands of people are doing it right and it is NOT OK to push them back just because some feel sorry for someone.
I commend your ancestors and I thank you for telling their story. But that was then and this is now. Times have changed. Social, political, economic, racial, religious and other factor evolve. We need to address these issues in the new reality in which we live.
@juan-if that is really your name, which I doubt. Times have not changed. There are still thousands of people around this world that are obeying the law and waiting in line to come here. It is certainly nor fair to them to have these people jump in front just because you feel sorry for them. You are feeling sorry for the wrong people.
LVS-
Juan was just attempting to engage in civil conversation and right way you take an antagonistic attitude with him.
And you wonder why everyone thinks you are an ass.
Correction, everyone knows you are an ass.
Juan,…Don’t be too concerned with LVS. He feels that his narrow-minded lopsided views speak for everyone on far too many issues. THEY DON’T. But the problem is this…life has been a bitter, jaded road for are friend LVS. Actually, I feel he’s nothing more than a cretin. He’s living in a more modern world who can(or at least attempt to)see another persons views without name-calling or political background being involved. You did a good job trying to be civil with him though. Most of us…
I meant no harm nor disrespect to LVS. Just wanted to express an opinion.
@Ron-you are the one who like a##, so you can kiss mine. I could care less about your opinions or those of some guy who comes on here using a fake Mexican name just to be a smart a##. I gave him my opinion and he decided to come back and lip off just like you have. Why don’t you grow a pair and be an adult instead of acting like a child. You liberals really are amazing. So damn stupid, all you can do is attack someone with no debate at all. Pi## off jerk off.
Well LVS, I see that you have not changed much over the years.
You were a stupid dickhead back in the day and now you are just a stupid old dickhead.
Most people grow in wisdom as they age, but then there are the few like you that actually regress.
Which is hard to believe when you consider the fact that you were one seriously stupid dumbass even back then.
It’s incredible that you could get even dumber.
Guess you have changed, you’re even more ignorant than you used to be.
I know Matt– Certainly not talking about you!!
Your blog is right on!! But whether I agree or not– at least we have somewhere that we have the freedom to say what we think. Sometimes it just boggles my mind. I grew up in a positive environment with really stellar parents and grandparents. We were taught early on to have compassion, preference for the poor, those with all types of disabilities, and other disenfranchised persons. It is just hard for me to understand the hard-hearted!
The plague has been sneaking across our southern border for years, but now is being encouraged by our government and the very rich. Life as we know it know is coming to an end. God help our children and grand children.
Great, We’re only 218 miles away, they can walk that in a day. There goes the neighborhood, and my $7.00 hr. burger flipping job…
If you are making $7.00 an hour flipping burgers you must live in Mexico City because the current minimum wage in Iowa it $7.25.
Not where I flip burgers….
Duh… then suck it up or report your employer to the department of labor and collect back wages.
Ever notice how easy it is to give away other peoples money?
I don’t know, ask Bookmeyer he’s GOP. These kids have lice or scabies not the bubonic plague for crying out loud.
Then let them live with you.
@maybe-By his own admission SUCKS doesn’t even live in Iowa. His opinion doesn’t mean squat.
Hey sucks, how does it feel to be a blooming idiot? You spout off at the mouth so much that you actually think that you are saying something important but you are nothing but a fool. Read this article, it is just the beginning. I found this on another website but in my research so see if it is true I found it on one of obamas own sites so read it and weep.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pneumonic-plague-infects-colorado-patient-and-pet-dog/
Once again maybe, reading for comprehension is definitely not your strong point.
The article that you linked to, provides absolutely nothing about this plague case being related in anyway, shape or form to illegal aliens.
Your criticism of Iowa Sucks is not only unfounded, but colored in bias of your own making.
Perhaps you might try looking at articles that have more pictures and very few words to confuse you.
I didn’t say he caught it from an illegal, all I said is here it comes. With all the illegals crossing the border bringing all kinds of diseases sucks said at least it wasn’t the plague, well guess what, the plague is here now.
BS maybe, you knew what you were insinuating.
Although somewhat rare, where is plague most common in the United States?
“Plague occurs in rural and semi-rural areas of the western United States. Plague is most common in the southwestern states, particularly New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.”
Yours is not deductive reasoning, but deductive fallacy.
maybe’s “logic”
Penguins are Black & White
Old TV shows are Black & White.
Therefore Penguins are old TV shows.
The reason we had Ellis Island for immigration from Europe was to test for infectious disease and other things before they were allowed to enter the USA. These kids are known to have many untreated diseases that will spread to our general population. They are not being screened and the border patrol have received a memo to wear plastic gloves when they report to duty and shower when they leave. I love children but this is a serious health threat to the USA.
bio attack
Nothing wrong with helping children, but this guy is helping his schools get filled so they get more money. It’s all about head count.
Jesus would be against us helping the children because I know Jesus was a right wing Republican because FOX news told me so.
Not “his city”
“Don’t unpack, you’re going back!”
I hope this Idiot plans on paying for them with the cities money. Not ours.