In the News
Iraqi Refugees: A New Plan
Reuters/AlertNet - 8/7/2008
UNHCR cash for Iraqi refugees, but many vow never to return
IRIN - 8/6/2008
An Iraqi Hero Awaits Thanks
Baltimore Sun - 8/4/2008
Blog
In Memory of Arthur Helton
Today we remember Arthur C. Helton – a dedicated advocate for refugees and displaced people – who died in the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003.
A lawyer and human rights advocate, Mr. Helton worked at Human Rights First, then the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, from 1982 to 1994, where he led the Refugee Protection Program and created the asylum pro bono ...
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Iraqi Refugee Stories
"My life is being wasted here."
From
the small city of Kut in the south of Iraq, "Mirah," now 27, was
working on a degree in English at her local university when the U.S.entered Iraq
in 2003. Read
Mirah's story.
Take Action
Speak Out for Iraqi Refugees
Nearly 5 million Iraqis have been displaced – more than 2 million have fled the country, and 2.8 million are internally displaced inside Iraq. Their fight to live in dignity only grows worse as food prices increase, savings are depleted, women and children struggle to access education and health care. The U.S has a moral obligation – as well as a strategic interest – to show leadership and address the crisis meaningfully. The number of Iraqi refugees we have welcomed to our shores is still just a fraction of those in need.
The U.S. says we're on track to meet the goal to resettle 12,000 Iraqi refugees in fiscal year 2008. That’s good, but it’s not enough. In September, President Bush will set the U.S. refugee resettlement goals for fiscal year 2009. Take a moment to urge the administration to set a goal to bring at least 35,000 vulnerable Iraqi refugees to safety in the U.S. in fiscal year 2009.
Are We Doing Enough?
The U.S. set a FY 2008 goal of admitting 12,000 Iraqi refugees by September 30, 2008
Click here to view complete data from FY 05 to FY 08
Source: U.S. Dept. of State - Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration - Office of Admissions - Refugee Processing Center
The Iraqi Refugee Crisis
Human Rights First is working to secure a comprehensive response to the Iraqi refugee crisis. We ask the United States to bring some of the most vulnerable refugees to safety through a major resettlement initiative and to lead the international community in providing aid for refugees and those displaced within Iraq.
President Signs Technical Fix Amendment
On June 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law S.2829, which makes technical corrections to the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act (section 1244 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008). The fix makes available immediately 5,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Iraqi translators and certain other Iraqis who worked for the U.S. government. It also allows that Iraqi translators who applied for visas under a previous SIV program and were wait-listed due to a shortage of visas can be granted visas under the new program. The SIV application with complete instructions can be found on the USCIS website here.
Click here to read HRF statement