Resettling Vulnerable Iraqis
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-04-11/resettling-vulnerable-iraqis
With the U.S. scheduled to pull out of Iraq this year, Iraqis who work with US entities find themselves fearful for their future, and many want to resettle in the US. A special visa program allows up to 5,000 of these Iraqis -- who report grave threats because of their U.S. affiliation -- to gain admittance each year, but only about 1,000 of these slots are filled annually. We find out why aiding these Iraqis has been such a challenge, and how security, budgetary and bureaucratic hurdles impact their lives.
Guests
Kirk Johnson
Founder and Executive Director, The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies
Eric Schwartz
Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Department of State
Ban Hameed
Iraqi Caseload Coordinator for The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies at Holland & Knight LLP
Elizabeth Campbell
Senior Advocate, Refugees International
Comments
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These people risked everything and their lives for their beliefs, they have no place in their homeland because of that belief , they are disowned by their people and shunned by society in most cases, they have no where to go, if they make it through the red tape and the endless process they arrive to the US to be left to their own device not much help beyond 3 -4 months of meager monetary help, most of them end up jobless and suffer through the humiliating experience of resorting to do menial jobs to survive, their beliefs and their dreams of a better life going up rapidly into smoke