Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on community of 40 Roma seeking asylum in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Romanians seeking asylum are in California, Pa. as part of U.S. Immigration program.” On July 14, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on a community of 40 Roma immigrants in California, Pennsylvania, who “said they came to America to escape persecution in their Bucharest-area homes,” and “have been processed through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have been released as part of the government’s Alternative to Detention program.” The local city council in the small city said they had no warning that the immigrants would be coming to their town, but noted that “there have been no instances of violence or aggression, and the immigrants involved in minor infractions have been duly cited and paid their fines”:

Most of the 40 or so Romanians who have moved to this community in the past two months do not speak English well, if at all. They do not know American customs and are unfamiliar with codes of conduct.

And they had no idea that their sudden arrival would upset so many of the residents of this small town 35 miles south of Pittsburgh.

More than 150 residents packed California borough council's municipal meeting room Thursday evening to voice concerns about the influx of the Romanian refugees.

The Romanians, who said they came to America to escape persecution in their Bucharest-area homes, have been processed through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have been released as part of the government’s Alternative to Detention program, which monitors flight from other nations. They are members of the group known as Roma, or gypsies, and are distinct from ethnic Romanians. Roma are minorities in many European states and often face prejudice and discrimination.'

The federal program allows the immigrants find temporary homes, a cheaper and more humane alternative to keeping them in detention.

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Angry residents at Thursday’s meeting said the newcomers throw trash around, park their cars in yards, disobey traffic rules, and are disruptive in markets. Others said that they’ve seen Romanians killing chickens and children defecating in public.

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Council members, the borough administrator and police Chief Richard Encapera said they had no warning that the immigrants were coming and have had difficulty contacting federal authorities for assistance and explanations.

But they also said there have been no instances of violence or aggression, and the immigrants involved in minor infractions have been duly cited and paid their fines. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/18/17]

Right-wing media uses Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report to push stories about “gypsy” public defecation, littering, beheading chickens

FoxNews.com: “Immigrants defecate in streets, behead chickens, angry Pennsylvania residents say.” A FoxNews.com article headlined, “Immigrants defecate in streets, behead chickens, angry Pennsylvania residents say,” highlighted problems the immigrants had assimilating in the local area. And while the article did highlight some positive interactions between the Roma and California, Pennsylvania residents, the report mainly focused on claims that “some residents of a Pennsylvania town are upset by Romanian immigrants who they have accused of defecating in public and beheading chickens”:

Some residents of a Pennsylvania town are upset by Romanian immigrants who they have accused of defecating in public and beheading chickens.

Residents in California, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Pittsburgh – are angered by the alleged actions of the Romanian immigrants, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Residents have accused the immigrants of throwing around trash, disobeying traffic laws, defecating in public, being disruptive in markets and killing chickens, according to the Post-Gazette.

“What I’ve seen is men and children – never usually the women – the men and the children dropping their pants in the middle of the street, defecating, pulling their pants up and going on their way,” Dawne Roberts told WTAE-TV. [FoxNews.com, 7/14/17]

Breitbart: “Pennsylvania residents protest Romanian immigrants ‘defecating and killing chickens’ in public.” A July 14 Breitbart report cited the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s report and focused on claims by residents that “a group of reportedly undocumented Romanian immigrants … are defecating on the streets and publicly beheading chickens”:

A group of reportedly undocumented Romanian immigrants have caused controversy for residents in a Pennsylvania town, who say their new neighbors are defecating on the streets and publicly beheading chickens.

“What I’ve seen is men and children — never usually the women — the men and the children dropping their pants in the middle of the street, defecating, pulling their pants up and going on their way,” resident Dawne Roberts told Pittsburgh’s Action 4 News.

Another resident reported littering and rampant speeding. Now, more than 600 California, Pa, residents have signed a petition demanding that the Romanian immigrants cease their destructive behavior.

Town official and borough administrator Dr. Richard Martin said the immigrants were relocated to his town, without warning, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a program called Alternative to Detention. [Breitbart, 7/14/17]

The Blaze: “Community outraged after feds move in Romanian ‘gypsies’ -- defecating in streets, trash in yards.” On July 16, The Blaze cited the Post-Gazette’s report, and focused on complaints citing “trash in yards, disruptions in town markets, children and men defecating in public streets, and immigrants cutting off the heads of chickens in public areas”:

Residents in California, Pennsylvania, a small borough of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, have said they are outraged after the federal government moved 40 Romanian “gypsies” into the town of 7,000 as part of the government’s Alternative to Detention program.

On Thursday, more than 150 residents attended a community meeting about the immigrants, who residents say have failed to assimilate to American customs and norms. The residents cited trash in yards, disruptions in town markets, children and men defecating in public streets, and immigrants cutting off the heads of chickens in public areas, according to a report by WTAE-TV. None of the immigrants, who are undocumented, have been charged with any other serious criminal offenses.

“We’re a very diverse town, we’re very open, but they aren’t assimilating to our laws,” said Pam Duricic, a resident of California, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. “We are understanding that these are immigrants. But this is not the same scenario as our grandparents. They didn’t come here to raise havoc.” [The Blaze, 7/16/17]

Gateway Pundit: “Residents of Small Pennsylvania Town Outraged By Immigrants Defecating in Streets, Beheading Chickens.” A July 17th post for The Gateway Pundit highlighted the Post-Gazette’s report, writing “Romanian gypsies in the United States have been in the news lately, as a Utah couple belonging to the community allegedly murdered their 3-year-old daughter”:

When a country is gracious enough to welcome you, conventional wisdom would say you treat its citizens and property with respect. Perhaps that’s demanding too much from a group of Romanian gypsies relocated to a small Pennsylvania town by the U.S. government. The Romanian gypsies are reportedly defecating in the streets and beheading chickens, leaving residents fuming.

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Romanian gypsies in the United States have been in the news lately, as a Utah couple belonging to the community allegedly murdered their 3-year-old daughter. [Gateway Pundit, 7/17/17]

Tucker Carlson: “There are a lot of news stories … where groups of Roma settle in a new community and then defecate on playgrounds or sidewalks or on their front steps.” In a July 17 segment on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight, host Tucker Carlson hyped reports that “integration is not going well” for Roma asylum-seekers in Pennsylvania, claiming the community has “little regard either for the law or public decency.” After claiming “there are a lot of news stories about this from around the world -- where groups of Roma settle in a new community and then defecate on playgrounds or sidewalks or on their front steps,” Tucker argued, “This seems to me like a hostile act”:

TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): Well, in the last two months, several dozen Roma, more commonly known as “Gypsies” have been settled in California, Pennsylvania by the federal government. The Roma are seeking asylum saying they suffered racism in their native Romania. Integration is not going well. According to residents, they have little regard either for the law or public decency. Citizens say they defecate in public, chop the heads off chickens, leave trash everywhere and more.

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I've spent time around the Roma and I've never heard anybody say they were violent, so that seems right to me. But I have heard a lot of people mention, and I'm just -- I hate to say it, but public defecation, there are a lot of news stories about this from around the world -- I'm serious, going back a long time in the U.K. and here where groups of Roma settle in a new community and then defecate on playgrounds, or sidewalks, or on their front steps. That seems to me a hostile act. Basically what you're saying --these are countries that have indoor plumbing, like, there are options. When you do that, you are saying “We reject you, and your mores.”

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GEORGE ELI: I've never witnessed any of my family do such a thing, and the way you're making it sound, with all due respect, or the way the papers are making it sound, is like they are doing it in protest, if, in fact, it's happening. I know things -- I'm here to talk about --

CARLSON: Well, lots of people over a number of different years -- I mean, there are photographs of it actually online. [Fox News, Tucker Carlson Tonight, 7/17/17]

Alex Jones: “They're crapping in the streets,” and “at least Tucker Carlson said ‘Gypsies coming to America.’” On the July 18 edition of his radio show, Alex Jones read from a FoxNews.com article and complained that, “Not even Fox News will tell you in the article [The Roma community are] gypsies,” and added “at least Tucker Carlson said ‘gypsies coming to America,’” referring to Carlson’s Fox News report.

ALEX JONES (HOST): Not even Fox News will tell you in the article they're gypsies. It just says they are a persecuted minority group from Romania, from Bucharest, who have been brought here by the federal government.

And it's got -- this is a whitewash, how great they are -- oh, they're crapping in the streets, they're robbing people, they're stealing, they're whatever. We're going to play this clip in a moment, but at least Tucker Carlson said “Gypsies coming to America.”

“The Romanian refugees moved to the area through a federal program that finds temporary houses for immigrants, according to Post-Gazette.”

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Your kid gets kidnapped out of your backyard, big kidnappings all over Europe, and they find em with the gypsies, and even liberal groups just say “Let em have your kid now, it's part of their” -- it was in Italy, they actually find them with kids and let them keep em. “Oh, they've had your daughter for three years, just let em keep em, and let the Muslims rape your wife too. It's okay, they only get probation.” Because it's liberal. [Genesis Communications Network, The Alex Jones Show, 7/18/17]