September 24, 2007

Church World Service continues to be deeply concerned for the 2.2 million Iraqis who have fled their country and the additional two million who are internally displaced within Iraq due to persecution and fear of death.

A large number of these people have served alongside U.S. troops as translators, drivers, cooks, doctors, mechanics, and in other valuable roles and are now targeted for helping U.S. efforts. Chaldean Christians, Palestinians, and academics also are fleeing persecution based on their religion, ethnicity, or profession.

The United States has an obligation to protect people who are fleeing the violence that continues to grip Iraq by ensuring adequate humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq and neighboring countries and by offering resettlement to those for whom it is the only safe option.

Early in 2007, Department of State officials announced the U.S. government's plan to process some 7,000 Iraqi refugees referred by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). According to a September 17 State Department update, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will have interviewed 4,500 referrals by September 30 and another 2,500 by December 31.

As is true around the world, not all refugees interviewed are accepted for U.S. resettlement. Even so, the Iraqi resettlement effort is proceeding much more slowly than refugee advocacy groups had hoped. As of September 20, only 1,135 refugees from Iraq had arrived nationwide, leaving millions of people still in urgent need of protection.

In response to growing concerns being raised by refugee advocacy groups, including Church World Service, regarding the small number of Iraqi refugees being admitted to the United States, the Bush Administration is appointing two senior officials who will be charged with ensuring that the resettlement processing system for Iraqis works efficiently. We are grateful that the U.S. government is giving greater attention to the resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees from Iraq, and strongly encourage it not to back away from its commitment to this effort. We urge support for the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act (S. 1651), which would further help Iraqi refugees by prioritizing vulnerable individuals, providing expedited special visas for those who have helped U.S. troops, and allowing those who seek safety to efficiently apply for relief.

As an organization with more than 60 years of experience in refugee resettlement and protection, Church World Service stands ready to help welcome Iraqi refugees to U.S. communities.

Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net