Gillibrand, Baldwin Send Letter to Clinton: Help LGBT Refugees

Today Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin took a first step to help LGBT individuals fleeing violence or persecution in Iraq, Iran, and other countries. In a letter to Secretary Clinton, signed by 42 of their colleagues, they urged that a number of measures be implemented to ensure that LGBT refugees are able to seek asylum safely and that when needed their resettlement is expedited.

The press release quotes Human Rights First's Eleanor Acer, director of our Refugee Protection program:

Today, these Members of Congress have presented a comprehensive set of recommendations that will help ensure the protection of individuals who flee persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity only to face further persecution and violence in the countries they have fled to in search of safe refuge. We praise their leadership on this issue, and urge the administration to implement these measures including a fast-track resettlement process for individuals facing serious protection risks.

Read a recent analysis of the plight of LGBT refugees by Human Rights First's Jesse Bernstein, in the Huffington Post.

Senator Gillibrand stated, "it is time for us in Congress to take a strong stand against all hate crimes and persecution - wherever they occur." Human Rights First tracks trends in hate crimes and is working to strengthen and enforce hate crime laws throughout North America, Europe, and Russia, where violent hate crime is on the rise. Join us and see how you can help.

Angelina Jolie Calls Attention to the Plight of Iraqi Refugees

Angelina Jolie's travels to Syria to visit Iraqi refugees has called attention to the largely forgotten plight of Iraqi refugees.

Human Rights First continues to call for a comprehensive response to the refugee crisis in the region. Read more about our work to help Iraqi refugees.

Iraq's Refugees - Not Disappearing

Are we at risk of taking our eyes off the ball? Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) is quoted in this morning's Washington Post on the Iraq war asking just that question. The paper's editorial page urges the Obama administration to continue to focus attention and resources on an Iraq that's far from stable, even as it prioritizes other foreign policy concerns.

We'd like to highlight one important component of the United States' obligations in Iraq that the Post left out: the 2 million-plus Iraqis who have fled their homes since the beginning of the war remain in dire straits.

HRF welcomed the appointment of Samantha Power to coordinate the administration's efforts affecting Iraq's displaced. It's crucial that the United States continue to lead the international response to the humanitarian crisis unleashed by the war - through aid to the region, ongoing resettlement of the most vulnerable Iraqis, and diplomatic efforts to ensure that Iraqi refugees return to Iraq only under safe, voluntary, and dignified conditions.

Challenges faced by Iraqi Refugees

A great article in today's New York Times highlights the challenges faced by Iraqi refugees resettled in the United States.

It refers to the special immigrant visa and refugee programs designed to help US-affiliated Iraqis facing danger in Iraq to come to the United States (the route by which most of the individuals in the article got here):

For years after the American invasion of Iraq, thousands of Iraqis clamored
for admission to the United States and found the door all but closed — until the
government reacted to widespread criticism in 2007 by making it easier for more
to enter with special visas or as refugees.

Human Rights First has been monitoring these programs, and we issued a report in April including assessments and recommendations. Read more about our Lifeline for Iraqi Refugees project.

Update on Iraqi Refugees - Good News!

Good news on the resettlement front – the United States resettled 1,900 Iraqis in June, for a fiscal year 2009 total of 13,537. Last September, the government set a goal of bringing 17,000 vulnerable Iraqi refugees to safety in the United States during the course of the year. Nine months into the fiscal year, they’ve met 80 percent of that goal. It’s by far the best U.S. resettlement effort since this humanitarian crisis began with the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Much credit is due to Ambassador James Foley, who has served as Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues in the State Department since September 2007. When he came on board, U.S. resettlement efforts for Iraqis began to improve, and the improvement has been steady and much welcome. Last month, President Obama nominated Ambassador Foley to be U.S. ambassador to Croatia (he previously served as ambassador to Haiti from 2003 to 2005). It’s unclear whether he’ll be replaced in the State Department. We hope that Ambassador Foley’s departure doesn’t indicate a decreasing commitment to resettlement of the most vulnerable Iraqis – particularly as the United States military disengages from Iraq.