Gordon Smith Plan Will Help 4,000 Iraqi Refugees

Senate Signs-Off on Streamlined Process for Iraq Refugees Senator Gordon Smith’s Amendment Will Help over Four Million People.

A U.S. Army medic examines an Iraqi child during a medical assessment in the Haswa region of Iraq Sept. 21st, 2007. The medic is attached to 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin K Thomas, U.S. Navy

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The U.S. Senate approved Thursday a new streamlined immigration process for Iraq refugees proposed by Oregon’s Gordon Smith. The new program will aid more than four million Iraqis who have either fled their home or country all together because of the violence in Iraq.

The United Nations reports 63 percent of Iraqis said they left their neighborhoods because of direct threats to their lives. These threats are often based on religion or association with American forces.

“Having the courage to help our soldiers has put many Iraqis in harm’s way,” Smith said. “We cannot leave them for dead. What we can do is provide a safe haven.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has referred 7,000 refugee cases to the United States, with only 63 being accepted as of June of this year. In addition to Senator Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker recently voiced concern about bottlenecks in the refugee process.

The Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act was unanimously amended by the Senate to the Defense Authorization Act. The new program will streamline refugee processing, prioritizing religious minorities and those who have helped the United States, as well as extend the current special immigrant program for translators and interpreters to include others who have supported the American effort in Iraq.

Source: Gordon Smith