Does the U.S. government have a social and moral responsibility to admit Iraqi refugees who have aided American troops in the on-going struggle?
The Bush Administration has been under pressure to let more Iraqi refugees move to the United States. Now the administration is getting ready to admit up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of September 2007. Humanitarian groups have said the United States has a moral duty to admit more Iraqi refugees because the US invasion preceded the crisis. In the years after the Vietnam War, the United States admitted 900,000 Vietnamese refugees.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who opposes President Bush's effort to increase troops levels in Iraq, said the administration is spending $8 billion a month on the war, but has budgeted only $20 million this year to help the estimated 2 million Iraqis who have fled to Jordan, Syria, and other countries. There is a growing cry for the U.S. to increase by at least 20,000 the number of Iraqi refugees eligible for resettlement in the United States in 2007 and 2008.
A July 2007 article from Refugees International states the following:
Neighboring countries are being overwhelmed by the massive influx of Iraqi refugees. Syria and Jordan are rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the numbers of Iraqis seeking refuge in their urban centers. Jordan, Lebanon and Syria consider Iraqis as “guests” rather than refugees fleeing violence. None of these countries allows Iraqis to work. Although Syria is maintaining its “open door policy” in the name of pan-Arabism, it has begun imposing restrictions on Iraqi refugees, such as charges for healthcare that used to be free. In Jordan, Iraqis have to pay for the most basic services, and live in constant fear of deportation. It is also becoming increasingly difficult for Iraqis to enter Jordan or to renew their visas to remain in country.
And a February 2003 briefing paper from Human Rights Watch titled Iraqi Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Displaced Persons: Current Conditions and Concerns in the Event of War eerily forcasted the deteriorating conditions that were likely to happen should war errupt in the region.
How should the U.S. handle this crisis? We want to hear from you.
The Bush Administration has been under pressure to let more Iraqi refugees move to the United States. Now the administration is getting ready to admit up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of September 2007. Humanitarian groups have said the United States has a moral duty to admit more Iraqi refugees because the US invasion preceded the crisis. In the years after the Vietnam War, the United States admitted 900,000 Vietnamese refugees.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who opposes President Bush's effort to increase troops levels in Iraq, said the administration is spending $8 billion a month on the war, but has budgeted only $20 million this year to help the estimated 2 million Iraqis who have fled to Jordan, Syria, and other countries. There is a growing cry for the U.S. to increase by at least 20,000 the number of Iraqi refugees eligible for resettlement in the United States in 2007 and 2008.
A July 2007 article from Refugees International states the following:
Neighboring countries are being overwhelmed by the massive influx of Iraqi refugees. Syria and Jordan are rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the numbers of Iraqis seeking refuge in their urban centers. Jordan, Lebanon and Syria consider Iraqis as “guests” rather than refugees fleeing violence. None of these countries allows Iraqis to work. Although Syria is maintaining its “open door policy” in the name of pan-Arabism, it has begun imposing restrictions on Iraqi refugees, such as charges for healthcare that used to be free. In Jordan, Iraqis have to pay for the most basic services, and live in constant fear of deportation. It is also becoming increasingly difficult for Iraqis to enter Jordan or to renew their visas to remain in country.
And a February 2003 briefing paper from Human Rights Watch titled Iraqi Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Displaced Persons: Current Conditions and Concerns in the Event of War eerily forcasted the deteriorating conditions that were likely to happen should war errupt in the region.
How should the U.S. handle this crisis? We want to hear from you.
