Key People and Quotes on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis
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Pres. George W. Bush - The President of the United States is the only person with the authority to accelerate the bureaucracy of refugee resettlement and, more importantly, to do away with it altogether in times of crisis. That is what President Bill Clinton did when he airlifted thousands of Iraqi allies to Guam in 1996 to be processed at a US military base, what President Gerald Ford did to resettle Vietnamese allies in 1975, and what America's allies in the current conflict are doing right now. Read about these precedents here and understand why President Bush, who has heretofore not uttered a syllable on this matter, is still a key player.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) - He introduced the first legislation to Congress addressing the Iraqi refugee crisis, the Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act of 2007, on May 10, 2007. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) co-sponsored. The bill has not been debated or voted on, but it is similar to the Kennedy-Smith Amendment in The 2008 Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by President Bush on February 1st, 2008. Elements of the bill were also incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act conference report. Rep. Blumenauer continues to be an outspoken advocate for Iraqi refugee issues on Capital Hill.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker - The current US Ambassador to Iraq has been vocal about the urgent need to resettle Iraqi allies to the United States. In July 2007, he wrote in a cable to the State Department: 'Our [Iraqi staff members] work under extremely difficult conditions, and are targets for violence including murder and kidnapping. Unless they know that there is some hope of an [immigrant visa] in the future, many will continue to seek asylum, leaving our Mission lacking in one of our most valuable assets." The following September, he sent another, even blunter cable to State entitled: "Iraqi Refugee Processing: Can We Speed It Up?"
Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI) - He co-authored a letter in February 2008 with Rep. Alcee L. Hastings to Secretary of State Rice and another to President Bush in late January regarding the status of Iraqi refugee resettlement. The letters posed a series of questions, including what the State Department's long term objectives are in this regard and what exactly the nature is of Ambassador Foley's job. They also requested an additional $1.5 billion to assist Iraqi refugees.
Under Sec. of State Paula Dobriansky - She headed the State Department's task force on Iraqi refugees that was formed in February 2007. At that time, she said that while the United States was committed to helping with the 'immediate needs' of Iraqi refugees and taking in 7,000 of them by the end of the fiscal year, 'the United States and the international community can best help displaced Iraqis by quelling the violence in Iraq and assisting them in making their country peaceful, prosperous and secure... enabl[ing] Iraqis to repatriate voluntarily to their homeland'. The task force reported no specific progress during fiscal year 2007 and was effectively replaced at the start of FY 2008 by newly appointed adviser/coordinators James Foley and Lori Scialabba.
Amb. James B. Foley - Appointed in September 2007, he is currently the State Department's Senior Coordinator for Iraqi refugee issues. Though he has claimed that the US may be admitting 1,000 refugees per month by the end of FY 2008, with the goal of admitting 12,000 by year's end, the rate has actually decreased on the whole since he took the reins. When only 1,324 refugees were admitted in the first four months of FY 2008, he understatedly conceded that reaching the 12,000 goal 'remains attainable... [but] there is no way to guarantee that result.'
High Commissioner Antonio Guterres - The former Prime Minister of Portugal currently serves as the UN's 10th High Commissioner for Refugees. His office is responsible for making initial recommendations to the United States regarding which refugees to consider for admission and has branches in Jordan, Syria and now Iraq itself. High Commissioner Guterres has been an outspoken advocate for the urgency of the Iraqi refugee issue around the world, taking routine trips to the region and demanding at least marginal accountability from the United States.
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) - Co-authored letter on Iraqi refugees for National Defense Authorization Act Conference and letter of February 5 to Secretary Rice with Rep. John Dingell. He also sent an earlier letter in August 2007 to similar effect. There was no reported reply.
Sen. Edward 'Ted' Kennedy (D-MA) - One of the first advocates for Iraqi refugees in Washington, Senator Kennedy wrote an op-ed in December 2006 addressing the issue. He subsequently held a hearing on it in the Senate the following month. The following June, he led half a dozen Senators in introducing the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act. Among other things, the act sought to create processing centers for refugees within Iraq, to establish coordinators for the issue at US embassies, and to make available 5,000 special immigrant visas for Iraqis who had worked with the United States government. It was signed into law on January 28th 2008, as part of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act.
Rep. David Price (D-NC) - He is the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is responsible for performing background checks on asylum applicants approved by the United Nations. Rep. Price has said regarding Iraqi refugees: "I think the major thing is inertia on the part of the administration. We are going to press this."
Ellen Sauerbrey - She was appointed U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration during a Congressional recess in January 2006. Amid pressure from Congress and the international community to address the Iraqi refugee crisis, Ms. Sauerbrey presided over the establishment of the Iraqi refugee inter-agency task force with a goal of admitting 7,000 refugees. She later suggested that the US could take in as many as 25,000 before the numbers were dialed back down by State. In a June 2007 interview with ABC News, she was apparently unaware of The List Project despite its repeated meetings with her office. She resigned in December 2007.
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) - She co-introduced the Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act of 2007 and continues to be a voice on Capital Hill for Iraqi refugee affairs.
Lori Scialabba - Appointed in September 2007 along with Ambassador Foley, she is currently the Department of Homeland Security's Senior Adviser for Iraqi refugee issues. DHS is responsible for the final security screening interviews Iraq refugees must undergo before being admitted to the United States. As previously noted, monthly admissions have dropped since Foley and Scialabba took up their posts. In a telling anecdote, the Washington Post reported in November 2007 that DHS investigators in Syria would only be able to complete about 2/3 of their assigned interviews by the end of their December visit. Scialabba replied: "We will have another [Homeland Security] group go back in January and complete the remaining cases... [but] that doesn't mean there won't be more referrals by that time."
Gordon Smith (D-OR) - The foremost Republican lawmaker on Iraqi refugee issues, he spearheaded the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act with Sen. Kennedy. That measure passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support. Smith continues to give voice to colleagues on both sides of the aisle by speaking forcefully about the issue and describing it as 'a national moral commitment'.
Read the latest developments at our news page/blog.
Notable Quotes about the Iraqi
Refugee Crisis and our Iraqi Allies
'Because of our role in the
chaos that has befallen Iraq, it is imperative that the United
States assume a greater obligation for the flood of Iraqi
refugees. A significant number have had their safety, and that of
their families, put at risk because of their involvement with
Americans. Reaching out to refugees who have risked their lives to
help Americans - at their own peril - is the least we can do! My
experience fighting to provide asylum for an Iraqi interpreter for
the Oregon National Guard was eye opening. This administration's
record in helping and working with Iraqi refugees is shameful and
must be corrected.' - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
'The current Iraqi refugee crisis is one of grief and sorrow. At
over 4 million refugees and internally displaced people, this is a
humanitarian problem cannot go ignored. The focus of this situation
should be kept on assisting those affected. We must do our part both
by aiding those nations that are absorbing the refugees and by
stepping up efforts to resettle certain refugees in the United
States. So many brave Iraqis have risked their lives and the lives
of their family members to support our effort there. We thank them,
we applaud them, and we will not leave them in their time of need.'
- Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
'While we will focus our efforts on improving conditions so that
Iraqis don't have to flee in the first place, we will also recognize
our moral obligation to help those we have put at risk in Iraq --
the interpreters, the soldiers and the workers who have assisted our
troops. I have been to Iraq three times. I have met these great
people who cast their bond with America. Many of them have been
assassinated and members of their families as well. I believe we owe
an obligation, particularly to them. So as part of this global
humanitarian effort, governments in both the Middle East and the
West as well as here in the United States, have to take in asylum
seekers, with the Commissioner of Refugees developing a plan to help
them return to Iraq once the country has stabilized.' - Sen.
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
'Our [Iraqi staff members] work under extremely difficult
conditions, and are targets for violence including murder and
kidnapping. Unless they know that there is some hope of an
[immigrant visa] in the future, many will continue to seek asylum,
leaving our Mission lacking in one of our most valuable assets.'
- Amb. Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Iraq
'The United States government has a moral responsibility to lead the
international response to the Iraqi refugee crisis. We urge the
State Department to make it a priority to address the Iraqi refugee
crisis and lead the international response as a focal point of
United States diplomatic efforts in the region.' - Reps. John
Dingell (D-MI) and Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
'We are committed to honoring our moral debt to those Iraqis who
have provided assistance to the United States military and embassy.'
- Under-Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky
'America has a strong obligation to keep faith with the Iraqis who
have worked so bravely with us - and have often paid a terrible
price for it. Regardless of where we stand on the war with Iraq, we
are united in our belief that America has a fundamental obligation
to assist the Iraqis who have courageously supported our forces and
our effort in Iraq and whose lives are in peril as a result. The
target of the assassin's bullet is now on their back, and our
government has a responsibility to try to save their lives. We
cannot afford to continue to jeopardize the lives of one of our most
valuable and essential partners in Iraq - - the Iraqi people who
bravely support us in the face of constant fear and danger.' -
Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy (D-MA)
'The humanitarian crisis caused by the millions of Iraqis who have
been displaced is staggering. The United States has a moral
obligation to help those Iraqis who have assisted or are assisting
our military and civilian forces, and this legislation will bring us
closer to fulfilling that responsibility. This legislation will also
pave the way for religious minority groups - many of whom are caught
in the crossfire of sectarian violence and are particularly
vulnerable - to apply directly to the U.S. for refugee status.' -
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)
'We must also keep faith with Iraqis who kept faith with us. One
tragic outcome of this war is that the Iraqis who stood with America
- the interpreters, embassy workers, and subcontractors - are being
targeted for assassination. An Iraqi named Laith who worked for an
American organization told a journalist, "Sometimes I feel like
we're standing in line for a ticket, waiting to die." And yet our
doors are shut. In April, we admitted exactly one Iraqi refugee -
just one! That is not how we treat our friends. That is not how we
take responsibility for our own actions. That is not who we are as
Americans. It's time to at least fill the 7,000 slots that we
pledged to Iraqi refugees and to be open to accepting even more
Iraqis at risk. It's also time to go to our friends and allies - and
all the members of our original coalition in Iraq - to find homes
for the many Iraqis who are in desperate need of asylum.' - Sen.
Barack Obama (D-IL)
'The people that I'm most worried about in the near term are the
people who've worked for and with us who might be subject to
recrimination and reprisal. And we're trying to step up our efforts
on their behalf.' - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
'America has a basic responsibility give a hand to the brave Iraqis
who put their lives at risk to help our troops. We cannot strand or
abandon them. What we can do is provide a safe haven and a little
assistance to help them get their feet back on the ground.' -
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)
Key people from whom we are waiting to hear regarding this crisis:
(If they have made a statement of which we are unaware, please let
us know):
- Pres. George Bush
- Sen. John McCain
- Gen. David Petraeus
Read the latest developments at our news page/blog.