Frequently Asked Questions About the Crisis
What is PRM?
PRM is common shorthand for the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Working closely with international governments and NGOs as well as USAID, PRM is responsible for administering hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to refugees around the world. It is also central in the formulation, inter-agency coordination, and administration of policies which resettle refugees to the United States. The Bureau was headed by Ellen Sauerbrey until her resignation took effect in mid- January 2008. It is currently led by Acting Assistant Secretary of State Samuel Witten. The State Department's special coordinator for Iraqi refugee affairs is Ambassador James Foley.
What is USCIS?
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) operates under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is responsible for final decisions regarding who may and may not enter the country. As ultimate gatekeepers for entry, their interviews are among the most detailed that refugees face and their processing notoriously slow. DHS is currently headed by Judge Michael Chertoff. Its senior adviser on Iraqi refugee affairs is Lori Scialabba.
What is IOM?
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is an international inter-governmental organization 'dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.' In the process of resettling Iraqis to the United States, IOM is in charge of performing medical checks, issuing flight tickets, providing cultural training to Iraqis and oftentimes acting as an intermediary between Iraqis and various departments of the United States Government. (Quotation source: IOM.int)
What is the UNHCR?
Established in 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR (not to be confused with the United Nations Human Rights Council, UNHRC), is 'mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide.' UNHCR has offices in 110 countries, including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and other states hosting large numbers of Iraqi refugees, where it is key to whatever management there is of the crisis. As part of its program, UNHCR performs three interviews with refugees who are applying for resettlement to third party countries. The United States relies on UNHCR's recommendations to decide which Iraqis to track into its own labyrinthine resettlement process. (Quotation source: UNHCR.org)
What is the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees?
The 1951 UN Convention on Refugees was the first real international agreement to define what a refugee is and the basic rights he or she deserves as such. It defines a refugee as 'a person who is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.' The Convention, among other things, demands that host countries provide refugees with personal security, access to social services, permission to work and a guarantee against punishment for entry. Notably, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran and other countries hosting large numbers of Iraqi refugees are not signatories to the Convention. As such, they regard the refugees as 'guests' or 'brothers', circumventing the rights that would otherwise come with the 'refugee' designation. (Quotation source: UNHCR.org)
Why does the United States rely on UNHCR?
The US relies on UNHCR to provide preliminary screening for the overwhelming majority of refugees from Iraq and around the world. This arrangement allows the United States to take advantage of UNHCR's vast global presence and infrastructure while affording UNHCR the benefit of resettling refugees to the US. The United States does not, however, require that refugees go through preliminary screening with UNHCR; it has its own bureaucracies and mechanisms which can do so as well.
What is USRAP and the direct access program?
The United States Refugee Assistance Program (USRAP) is the division of US State Department's Population, Resettlement and Migration bureau specifically devoted to refugee affairs. As a result of recent legislation by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), certain sub-groups of Iraqi refugees may now apply for visas directly through USRAP without a UNHCR reference. Those groups: are Iraqis who worked for the US, immediate family of Iraqis who worked for the US - including if that relative is deceased - and Iraqis with immediate family members who are Permanent Residents in the US. Bypassing UNHCR is meant to streamline the process for these Iraqis and allow them to get a jumpstart in line, but it is currently only available to Iraqis in Jordan and Egypt.
What about our endangered Iraqi allies who are trapped inside Iraq?
As the refugee crisis has escalated, Iraq's neighbors have closed their borders, effectively sealing them off and trapping many people inside. Currently, Iraqis seeking asylum in the US - even those who have worked for it - are forced to apply at embassies in neighboring countries, despite the existence of the world's largest embassy in Baghdad. Congress has now mandated that the State Department begin processing applications inside Iraq, but the effort has not yet started and it remains unclear when it will begin.
Why don't Iraqis just stay in Syria or Jordan or another country to which they've fled?
The countries hosting the largest numbers of Iraqi refugees - Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and so on - are not signatories to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. They usually reside illegally and are disallowed from working, forcing formerly upper and middle class people to descend into poverty. Their children are allowed only limited access to health care and education. Local populations are wary or worse of the Iraqi refugees, chafing at the flood of foreigners landing on their soil. Finally Muqtada al-Sadr - the man whose army forced many of our Iraqi allies to flee in the first place - maintains a representative in Damascus, leaving our allies feeling rightfully insecure. For these reasons, long term resettlement for our allies in these countries is simply untenable.
There have been articles reporting that the surge is resulting in improved security in and around Baghdad. Why don't these Iraqis just go home?
While everyone hopes that Iraq is stabilized and peace returns, there are still more Iraqis leaving than returning, and most who do return cite financial hardships - not security. Returnees often find that someone else, usually from another sect, is living in his or her home, or that the home has been destroyed. Many also find themselves confronted with the threat of personal violence. Amidst this broader picture, America's Iraqi allies continue to be the most hunted class in Iraq. For this reason, The List Project receives new requests from Iraqi allies seeking help - every single day.
How does the refugee resettlement process work?
The refugee resettlement process usually proceeds according to the steps outlined below, with the exception of a few newly established special circumstances in which Iraqis can bypass UNHCR. For a more detailed explanation of the resettlement process, click here.
1) Iraqi leaves Iraq to qualify for refugee status.
2) Iraqi registers as a refugee with UNHCR.
3) Iraqi undergoes 3 interviews with UNHCR over period of many months.
4) Iraqis recommended by UNHCR go on to interview with US State Department.
5) Iraqis cleared by State go on to interview with Homeland Security.
6) Iraqis cleared by DHS wait for bureaucracy to okay IOM to administer ticket.
7) Iraqi receives flight ticket from IOM and flies to the United States.
8) Iraqi case outsourced to local NGO to administer minimal refugee assistance.
9) After 6 months, Iraqi begins paying back cost of the flight ticket to IOM.
Have refugees always had to navigate such a complicated process? What about local allies who have helped us in the past?
In 1975, when the North Vietnamese took Saigon and forced a wave of refugees who had either been tied to or part of the US-backed Saigon government, President Ford ordered the transport of 111,919 refugees to Guam in five months. In Guam they went through health, security and political screening. 1,546 of them were eventually sent back to Vietnam for political reasons; nearly all of the rest of them became United States citizens.
More recently, in the final four months of 1996, President Clinton ordered the evacuation of 6,493 Iraqis to Guam in three airlifts. A majority of them were Kurds but there were others as well; all had worked with American agencies and their lives were under immediate threat from Saddam Hussein's forces. They were screened and their cases processed at military facilities on the island. Seven months later, nearly all of them were granted asylum and then moved to the United States. Major General John Dallager, the operation's commander, said at the time that "Our success will undoubtedly be a role model for future humanitarian efforts." Every person on Johnson's List could be transported to Guam in three flights.
Both of these precedents underscore how it requires an American President to take real action, bypass bureaucracies and save lives.
What have other members of coalition forces done for their Iraqi staff?
America's coalition allies have already begun operations similar to those described above, airlifting their Iraqi allies out of harm's way and processing their asylum requests on friendlier shores. In summer 2007, the Danish government announced that it had secretly transported its Iraqi allies and their families to Denmark. In February 2008, Britain announced that it would begin airlifting out Iraqi allies starting in April and would continue doing so until the fall.
Is there anything I can do to help fix this mess?
Yes! Please click here for more information.