Posted on 09/12/2008 3:37:11 PM PDT by americanophile
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has surpassed its goal of admitting 12,000 Iraqi refugees this year and expects more, perhaps tens of thousands, next year, the State Department said on Friday.
The United States expects to admit a minimum of 17,000 Iraqi refugees in fiscal 2009, which begins October 1, the department's senior coordinator for refugees said. Thousands more Iraqis and their family members could arrive via a special visa program for people who worked for the United States or its contractors.
"I think you'll see the U.S. government admitting over the course of fiscal 2009 tens of thousands of Iraqis into the United States," coordinator James Foley told reporters.
Up to 3,000 could come from Baghdad, where the United States launched interviews this year, he said.
So far this year 12,118 Iraqi refugees have arrived and another 1,000 are booked to travel to the United States by the end of this month, when the U.S. fiscal year ends, he said.
This marks a huge leap from just 1,600 Iraqis who were admitted in the previous year, a number that drew widespread criticism from refugee groups who said Washington should do more to help solve a crisis affecting millions of Iraqis since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
But it is still lower than the number some other countries have taken. Sweden, a country of 9 million people, has admitted over 40,000 Iraqis since 2003.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 2 million Iraqis are living abroad, mostly in neighboring Jordan and Syria. More than 2.5 million are internally displaced.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
They may need a good community organizer.
This could be a disaster
I too think the US should consider the consequences. I also believe that not all of these are refugees. Some are coming just to try to take over America.
Michigan is currently losing about 200,000 citizens per year.
They’re not wanted or needed! They’re like the Borg. They want US to assimilate to THEM.
WTF?! Why did thousands of Americans die so they could have a free society in Iraq. Make it work you SOB’S!
I thought we were supposed to be over there because we were making there lives better so why on earth are they coming here
this is just plain stupidity and needs to be stopped
look at when Clinton brought over the Somali’s etc now they are refusing to pick up passengers if they have beer, wine, etc
The ones in ME have caused nothing but problems there too
OH NO, more muslims that can turn on you in a heartbeat. I really fear for our country!
And they will ... think Great Britain ... but then again WE have our guns and are not likely to give them up without a fight
EXACTLY
I have seen friends die and injured we have lost thousands of men and women to give them a good life and now they say they want to come here
no way at all.
their culture is totally different just look at the cabbies refusing to pick people up, look at the trouble and demands many have caused due to them saying about their religion
No way should they come here, American and British soldiers died for them and if they come here then what was the point
If they risked their lives working for Uncle Sam, that’s good enough for me. The fact is that everyone in Iraq who worked for us risked not only their own lives, but the lives of their families. If we don’t give them refuge in their hour of need, how are we going to get people in hostile environments to work for us?
o the left are already working on us giving our guns away and while we say no way if the police come what can we do.
can’t shoot so nothing but hand them in,
in the meantime America becomes another France
you don’t know that as many will say anything to come here and then plant bombs or cause trouble
this is one of the worst things I have heard.
even if they did help us you can bet that in the next generation their kids will be demanding things and having riots
don’t believe me look at the Uk france, denmark holland etc
terrible idea
If and when the police begin to confiscate weapons I believe that you and they will get a little surprise ... 01-09-2008
tens of thousands.....
We just don't die quick enough for our leaders do we.
also hour of need
we went there to give them a safe place with freedom so why now come here with our thousands dead
what was the point if they now cpome here, we moght as well said years ago come here no worries and we could have saved thousands of our service men and women lives plus our allies like England who have lost many there too
FIX YOUR OWN COUNTRY!
The heart that now has high blood pressure, on the verge of a heart attack. The last thing the U.S. needs right now is more foreigners, legal or illegal.
Otherwise, the Fed/gov better start building more schools, freeways and jails, and someone better start creating a hell of a lot more jobs.
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