It should surprise no one that Iraqis are fleeing their shattered country in droves, but another statistic reported by the Washington Post is remarkable: Of the estimated 100,000 Iraqis who have fled the country since 2003, only 466 have been allowed to immigrate to the United States under refugee status.
In Washington, D.C., that’s prompted calls for increased funding and other initiatives to help the fleeing Iraqis.
“We should not repeat the tragic and immoral mistake from the Vietnam era and leave friends without a refuge and subject to violent reprisals,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Does the United States have an obligation to accept more of those displaced by the Iraq war?
Posted by Dave Knadler
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20 Comments
Ok Dave,
How about a little bit of clarification?
You say out of the 100,000 only 466 have been allowed refugee status in our country.
How many of those 100,000 applied for refugee status in our country?
How many of those 100,000 were given some other status in our country such as full citizenship or work visa’s or student visa’s?
I mean really, it is kind of dishonest to compare the two numbers without the whole picture.
Nathan,I totally agree with you. The thread leaves too many questions unanswered, and seems to me to be put up to garner as much ian/ed nonsense as possible. This one leaves a lot to be desired.
BTW, Hows things going?
JM Walker,
We are getting close to leaving, so just trying to get all of the paperwork and equipment in good working order for the next crew.
I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
I am the lead guy on making the cruise book (yearbook) I am the S-4 Plt Sgt, and I am the Battalion Armory Chief.
Work… Work…Work…
Nathan: I have wondered about a third alternative to the Iraq situation. Might or might not have potential.
That is, assist MANY people from any country in the world to relocate to Baghdad with assistance, education and protection to get started. My guess is people from various situations would volunteer. Turn Baghdad into a truly international city. ANOTHER KIND OF SURGE!
You are there … would this work?
JWink,
Honestly I don’t think so.
Well, it might have some potential if they are already Muslim.
Definately not Christian. Thats a whole different can of worms.
The article does leave many questions. However I do think the US has a responsibility to those who are forced to flee.
One problem not addressed in the article. Most of these refugees are fleeing to countries that we have declared enemies. If they return to Iraq – which I think becomes needed – will they be our friends? Or our enemies?
Picking up on JWink’s idae – if we can somehow get ex-pats back in there, especially if they have become “western-educated”
The background check for this would be a nightmare. It sounds all warm and fuzzy to let them in since we disrupted their country, but how many of them, should we open the flood gate, would cause harm here? You can’t just let everyone in you know?
Very true Sol … Catch-22. But, just as in Nam do we owe anything to those who threw their lot with us?
We already have an immigration problem. I do not think we need to add to it.
Let us get out of their country as opposed to bringing them to ours.
Nathan raises interesting points, which are not answered by the linked article in WaPo. Further information as to the numbers would be appreciated.
However, the author of the article gives as a reason for the low number granted refugee status the stringent security checks in place; I suspect the same would apply to the other classes of potential immigrants Nathan details.
The bigger issue, in my mind, is that the best of the Iraqi’s are leaving in droves. Iraq is facing a critical shortage of trained medical personnel as well as other professional people.
Most of the 100,000 (a low estimate compared to other reports) are people with the financial and other means to leave Iraq. They have the resources to reestablish themselves elsewhere.
When and if Iraq is stablized, those people will be desperetely needed.
WS, I have read/heard about the “brain drain” from Iraq as well; this is why I think Nathan’s response is overly optimistic. While I would hope these emigres would return, I suspect many will not, especially if the stabilization, etc., takes longer than Nathan estimates, and they have established themselves and families in other countries.
VT, WSC – if and when they do return will we label them “infiltrators”? After all, they will largely be crossing the borders from Syria and Iran.
Ben, good point; will they be so labeled? Will their repatriation be mired in security checks? Will their sectarian affiliation become an issue?
These questions recur as I consider the situation; I’ve no ready answers thereto, but hope that such questions are part of someone’s long-term planning, should such exist.
MANY years ago Roger Grund (remember him anyone?) and I had a long discussion about all the Haitian refugees being housed at Guantanamo. I felt that we should be training them – carpenters, plumbers, cops, etc – as long as they were there anyway. My idea was to try to establish a base for a middle class – and hopefully one that would be pro-US.
Today’s situation seems likely to create enemies to the US throughout the Iraqi diaspora.
Ben, you raise an outstanding point. If we stop training the combatants of the civil war and start training folks to re-build… The possibilities are limitless.
For one, if someone is trying to build or repair and apartment building and another comes in to use it as a base for violence, wouldn’t the builders be more apt to protect it as they are the ones with the sweat investment?
Part of the issue that we have in Iraq in the Breemer closed all of the formerly state-run operations, including factories after the invasion, resulting is massive unemployment.
Some of those operations are now being reopened, but the damage is done. An unemployed man is much more likely to support the insurgency than an employed one.
Can you guys get another picture?
I mean that poor distraught woman gets made the header photo for just about all the mideast threads that deal with pain and suffering. Is she getting a royalty?
Oh this is a BAD idea. A mass immigration of Iraqis I mean.
We already have an immigration problem for a start.
How do you tell a refugee from a terrorist?
How does their country get fixed if they run away?
Awhile back, someone had a link that Dr.s and nurses and other professionals were being killed in the infighting. It will be only the select few who will be able to come to the US. What is Iraq gonna have left?
If I was a professional in Iraq with the financial means to get out of this mess, I would probably get out on the first road going anywhere but here too. What’s sad will be if and when the fighting is over and the dust settles, what type of Iraq will it be? All the unfortunate souls that had no way to get out? No way to rebuild the country? What a big fat mess Bush made.