Kennedy-Smith bill is First Step to Addressing Iraqi Refugee Crisis

from Refugees International

Bipartisan bill is strong show of support for Iraqi refugees, but direct assistance is still needed to ease the crisis

Washington, DC – Refugees International praised Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass), Gordon Smith (R-Ore), Sam Brownback (R-Kan), Joe Lieberman (D-Conn) and a number of liberal and conservative Senators for their bipartisan efforts to increase support for the “Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act” and taking a lead in the Senate in addressing the Iraqi refugee crisis. Refugees International endorsed the legislation and called for full implementation of the bill. In addition, the organization urged Congress and the U.S. Administration to increase regional security by providing additional humanitarian relief funding directly to Iraq’s neighbors.

“Refugees International welcomes these efforts to give the most vulnerable Iraqis security here in the U.S., but we must still address the millions who will not be resettled,” said Kristele Younes, Advocate with Refugees International. “We are pleased that this bipartisan coalition is showing leadership in the Senate to help the Iraqi people as this crisis continues.”

In the 2007 fiscal year, the United States has only resettled 719 Iraqi refugees, far short of the 7,000 goal the administration set earlier this year. The “Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act” establishes a special P 2 category as well as a special immigrant visa for Iraqis who worked with the United States government or entities affiliated with it. The bill would also include a program for processing refugees within Iraq, provide special coordinators to facilitate the visa process and require regular reporting on the efficiency and goals of the program. Currently, Iraqis have no mechanism for seeking refugee status within Iraq and must leave for neighboring countries to apply for this status. On September 7, Ambassador Ryan Crocker also sent a second State Department cable urging the Bush Administration to speed up processing of Iraqi refugees and remove bureaucratic delays.

“While we wait for U.S. agencies to resolve the resettlement bottleneck, we must provide assistance to the region,” added Younes. “Millions of people cannot access housing, food, medical care and education for their children. Regardless of America’s future course in Iraq, these people are not going home or being resettled anytime soon. Providing for their well-being in the interim is essential for establishing stability in the Middle East.”

More than 2.2 million people are now displaced inside the country, and an additional 2.5 million have fled to neighboring countries. As many as 100,000 per month are newly displaced within Iraq, and with Jordan and Syria now imposing entry requirements on Iraqis, it is becoming increasingly hard to leave the country. Many “safer” governorates inside Iraq have also closed their internal borders, unable to cope with the large influxes of displaced persons.

Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates ending refugee crises. Since November 2006, the organization has conducted three missions to Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt to assess the needs of Iraqi refugees and work with international leaders to develop effective solutions to this crisis. For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/iraq.

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