Lack of Presidential Leadership - or Insubordination? Important Legislation for Iraqis Still Not Implemented

The New York Times had a great feature on May 14 about Iraqi translators who worked for the US military. It focuses on several of their most passionate advocates – veterans and active duty members who say that they owe their lives to their translators. The article highlights two excellent organizations that we regularly work with, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-partisan veterans’ advocacy organization, and the Checkpoint One Foundation, which provides temporary financial assistance and other support for Iraqis and Afghans in the US who assisted the US military during wartime.

The piece paints a poignant picture of the danger that Iraqi translators face in their own country as a result of their work for the US. It also describes the additional challenges they must overcome to flee to the US – challenges that could be dismantled if the US State and Homeland Security Departments would implement the programs to help them that have already been mandated by law. The Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act (Title XII, Subtitle C, §1241-1249 of Public Law 110-181 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008) was signed by President Bush on January 28, 2008. It reflects a strong bipartisan consensus that the US has a moral obligation to support Iraqis who have helped us – it provides for 5,000 additional Special Immigration Visas for Iraqi translators each year for the next five years and requires the US government to set up inside Iraq to process Iraqi refugees who cannot make it out of the country, among other provisions.

However, State and DHS have not yet implemented these important programs. The NYT article says:

Gordon D. Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said the government’s hands were
initially tied by the lack of federal legislation allowing special visas for
interpreters. Now that more visas have been made available, he said, President
Bush has directed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and the homeland security
secretary, Michael Chertoff, to “make sure the visa process for translators and
others moves as quickly as possible.”

That’s news to us – check out Refugee Protection Program director Eleanor Acer’s subsequent letter to the editor in the NYT. It’s been almost 4 months since the legislation was passed (and the language of the legislation had been circulated many months previous to that, giving the relevant officials ample time to prepare), and there is no process yet in place for Iraqi translators to apply to the new SIV program. The relevant USCIS form, called the I-360, does not contain instructions for applicants to the new program, and we’ve heard no guidance as to how the program will be implemented. The old SIV program, which provided the “special visas for interpreters” cited by Mr. Johndroe, has been in place for a year; the visas simply ran out due to the enormous need.

Additionally, despite the millions spent on the war each day, and the new $700 million US Embassy slated to open in Baghdad at any moment now, State and DHS have not yet set up the in-country processing so desperately needed by Iraqis affiliated with the US. The US Embassy, unlike embassies in many countries, accepts visa applications in only a limited number of categories (and sends most Iraqis seeking to come to the US to their counterparts in Amman (or elsewhere) – disregarding the fact that travel to Amman is costly and it’s often impossible for Iraqis to gain entry, even if they have an appointment with the US Embassy there.

We hope that Mr. Johndroe was indeed correct when he expressed the president’s commitment to Iraqi refugees who helped the US. But actions speak louder than words. President Bush must exercise real leadership by making clear to Secretary of State Rice and DHS Secretary Chertoff , and all other officials involved, that he expects them to move forward quickly to make SIVs available to Iraqi translators and to set up processing for Iraqi refugees inside Iraq, as the law requires - and the need demands.

Iraqi Refugee Crisis in NYT Op-ed

The International Rescue Committee has a great op-ed in the New York Times today. The organization sent a high-level delegation to Syria and Jordan in February to meet with Iraqi refugees, leaders in both nations, and U.S. and UN officials in order to assess the crisis firsthand. The op-ed suggests, and we agree strongly, that a comprehensive plan to deal with this long-term crisis must be a part of any strategy for moving forward in Iraq and the region.

The op-ed’s numbers highlight an interesting point – U.S. resettlement and aid levels have been presented in the media as woefully inadequate (our view) and as perfectly acceptable (the implication in some articles). So it’s worth looking at the numbers a bit more closely.

On resettlement: Between October 1, 2004, and March 31, 2008, the U.S. resettled 4,635 Iraqi refugees. By way of contrast, between 1959 and 1962, the U.S. accepted 200,000 Cuban refugees. Between May 1 and December 20, 1975, the U.S. accepted 131,000 Vietnamese refugees. In almost five years, we’ve brought just a tiny fraction of Iraqi refugees to safety, though it’s clear from history that when the will exists we can do much, much more.

On aid: Since 2003, the U.S. had provided more than $500 million in humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees and IDPs. Also since 2003, the U.S. has spent more than $500 billion on the war in Iraq. The Congressional Research Service estimated (as of February 2008) that the Iraq war costs about $10 billion per month. That means that the U.S. spends more on the war in two days than we’ve contributed to humanitarian assistance for refugees and IDPs in five years.

The bottom line is clear from the numbers: The United States can and should do much more to meet the needs of the 4 million-plus Iraqis who have fled their homes.

NYT Cites Iraqi Refugee Crisis on Ed. Page

Quick note that on Sunday the New York Times editorial page named the Iraqi refugee crisis as one of several important issues yet to be addressed in discussions of future U.S. actions in Iraq and the region – specifically about when and how a troop withdrawal will take place, and how U.S. relations with Iraq and the region will take shape in the years to come. The Times highlighted the thousands of Iraqis who have helped the U.S. and its partners in Iraq. To read the editorial, click here.