The US move has been prompted by criticism over the number of refugees it has taken in so far - some 463 since the 2003 invasion.
463.
Nearly 2 million Iraqis have fled since the illegal invasion in 2003, mostly to the neighbouring countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt, creating a humanitarian disaster for all involved. Yet, during that time, the US government has only accepted 463 Iraqi refugees. That's absolutely unconscionable.
Assistant secretary of state for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Ellen Sauerbrey:
...following 9/11, the security screening that was put in place by the Department of Homeland Security in response to the concerns of the American people made it very, very difficult for people from this region to be screened to come into the United States. And in fact, the numbers dropped off so dramatically that UNHCR found it not a very attractive destination and were making very few referrals to the United States. But in addition, I go back to what I said before, conditions in Iraq were such that there was not a huge desire for a resettlement into the United States. Most of the people that we were helping were resettling back to their homes in Iraq.
So, the Bush administration decides to invade Iraq in order to "free" its people all the while making it damn near impossible for them to seek refuge in the US when the war goes on without end. Those 7,000 refugees will also be subject the the same strict scrutiny, so it's anybody's guess as to how many will eventually make it through the screening process.
State department officials also noted during their briefing that priority is being given to Iraqis who have worked with the US government in Iraq and who now feel threatened enough to leave because of that. That special consideration will require new legislation which could cause even more delays.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration has been busy demonizing Syria's government on the world stage and now it has been forced to deal with the Syrians to help them manage the refugee crisis. As a result of its refusal to address the issue of Iraq's refugees in that country, the Bush administration has enabled that situation to devolve.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees described the situation for Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan:
COMMISSIONER GUTERRES: First of all, the two communities are not identical. The community in Jordan is, as an average, of higher income than the community in Syria, even if today, we also have in Jordan a meaningful amount of poor people. In Syria, you have basically middle class and poor people. But even middle class that left Iraq some months or one or so or two years ago, now their income -- they have no jobs so they are becoming poor. And the number of people poor in both -- especially in Syria, but in both Syria and Jordan, is becoming very worrying and we have several situations that are absolutely dramatic. And (inaudible) some of them in absolute dramatic situations, even women having -- being forced to -- well, use so-called survival sex and things of this sort that are really very worrying and that's why it's absolutely crucial to increase the capacity to assist this group of people.
At the same time, I must say I'm particularly worried with the evolution of the public opinion in these two countries. Listening to cab drivers, to average citizens, people are feeling more and more that many of the problems they face because of inflation, because of difficulty to find flats if they want to marry a daughter or a son are due to the presence of Iraqi refugees. So there is a risk for the protection environment of the Iraqis there and that's why I appeal to a massive support to these countries. Now that massive support is not only through UNHCR. We have a limited role to play and we are going to play it very -- in a very committed way. But it is necessary to understand that the dimension of the problem requires the mobilization of all UN agencies and all forms of bilateral aid to these countries in order for them to be able to cope with such a huge pressure over their economies, their societies, their infrastructure and even their security concerns.
Compared to the almost half-trillion dollars the US has spent on its war in Iraq since it began, it has donated a pittance to deal with the refugee problem and it has only made more of an effort now to accept more Iraqi refugees as a response to growing public criticism of its stifling policies and inaction.
In his just-released budget, President Bush asked for $35 million to help Iraq's refugees in fiscal year 2008, plus $15 million in supplemental funding for this year.
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a private nonprofit group, had urged Bush to seek $250 million as part of a supplemental war funding request.
The scope of this tragedy is huge:
One out of every seven Iraqis has fled his or her home or sought refuge abroad, the largest movement of people in the Middle East since the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948, according to United Nations officials and relief workers. Every day, violence displaces an estimated 1,300 more Iraqis in the country; every month, at least 40,000.
Last year, 202 refugees from Iraq were allowed to resettle in the United States.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack tried to brush off the issue this week by saying "it's a shared global responsibilty", but the fact is that the Bush administration has written this off as everybody else's problem while continuing to hang on to the dream that somehow the US military will make Iraq safe enough for all Iraqis to live in the freedom they were promised. They've failed on both fronts and are now trying to play a misdirected game of catch up while millions continue to suffer both in Iraq and abroad. So much for "compassionate conservatism".
Related:
A flashback to 2004, Where are Iraq's Refugees?
The UN Refugee Agency
Iraq's Other Surge
Amnesty International's recent statement on Iraq refugees
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