US opens its doors at last to 7,000 Iraqi refugees
 

The Bush Administration said yesterday that it was finally ready to admit up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees into the US, after months of delays and growing condemnation on Capitol Hill over the refusal to grant asylum to some of the 2.2 million Iraqis who have fled the war.

Acknowledging for the first time that Iraqis who have helped US forces since the 2003 invasion are at risk of death inside the country, the Department of Homeland Security said that new procedures were in place to screen the thousands who have been referred by the UN for resettlement in the US.

Refugee groups welcomed the move, but condemned it as too little, too late. The US has admitted fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees, leaving more than two million in refugee camps and cities across the Middle East. Another two million Iraqis have been displaced internally by the war, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Refugees International, a Washington-based advocacy group, said that Sweden had accepted 18,000 Iraqi refugees and Australia has resettled nearly 6,000. Britain has granted only 115 Iraqis asylum since 2003, out of 8,075 applications, according to Home Office figures. Ken Bacon, president of Refugees International, said: “The US should be doing much more.”

Congress ignored the issue almost completely until the Democrats’ takeover on Capitol Hill last year. During hearings in January – when only 466 Iraqis had been admitted since 2003 – a Sunni translator from Mosul told how assisting coalition forces had made him a condemned man.

:mad2:

We let in 69 last month. That is enough. Close the borders.

They are Iraqis. The 2 million we drove out of their country - they deserved it. The second 2 million that are now living homeless - its all their fault.

just a reply I received from Cheney

We could send them to Mexico and make them sneak in like everyone else.

It could be a game...

Does that mean they would have to run through wild game perserves in Texas? What's the record for the largest Iraqi? Does it could it one is bagged in a game perserve?

What will they do when Cheney wants to go hunting for Iraqis? Give him how many more lawyers?

The countries that started this war have a very poor record of caring for the displaced citizens in Iraq.

I hope the rest of the 'coalition of the willing' are going to follow suit and try and create some normalcy in these people's lives.

I don't know? can you eat them? Yuk. No thanks.:headshake

If "we drove" them out, why not just "drive" them back in?

I don't think we drove them out, just gave them an excuse to leave.

I'll drive them back in when you are with them.

Never happen.

These millions of people left when the invasion started? Why didn't they go back when it was mission accomplished?
The only fighting after that, was in response to insurgents attacks. So it's not us that's keeping them away, it's their countryman.
If the US pulls out, how many would go back? Were they part of the ruling minority under Saddam? If so they can never go back.

Note the term "ruling minority"... The majority have freedom of movement. I do believe, at great agnst to the UN, people are redistributing within their country. An unfortunate but survival tactic in times of civil war.

As if 4 million people were simply waiting for one excuse so they could all leave and go live in poverty. Are you truly that extremist as to believe even that propaganda?

America created an insurgency that was even predicted by Iraqi analysts in the State Department. This is what happens when an invading nation does not do nation building - also called Phase IV planning.

So how does TheMercenary spin this? He puts blame on those 4 million people who all decided at the same time to be homeless, to live without jobs, and to live as paupers. Clearly they wanted an excuse to live this way ... which is how he defends George Jr and his beloved "Mission Accomplished" war.

TheMercenary is again caught and expose for spinning a lie that will jusitify his political agenda - reality be damned.

Reality? TheMercenary does not need no reality. He has a political agenda.

Ok, let 69 more in then close the door. That would be fair.