Refugees
The number of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons are at crisis levels. The United States must fully fund the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Non Governmental Organization responses to this extreme dislocation of an estimated 18 to 20 percent of the Iraqi population. Additionally, the U.S. should speedily accept Iraqi Refugees into this country, especially those who are in danger because they have worked with the U.S. forces since the invasion. Simple justice requires that a fair and rapid legal procedure be applied to the determination of the status of asylum seekers. The granting of asylum is not a favor to be dispensed-it is a Christian duty.
See an interview with Simone Campbell, SSS, NETWORK’s Executive Director, about NETWORK’s views on peace in Iraq.
Catholic Social Teaching
Refugees: A Challenge to Solidarity, Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People & Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’, 1992.
Background Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
It is currently estimated that more than four million Iraqis have left their homes, with an additional 60,000 people fleeing every month[i]. Of the four million, 43% are internally displaced within Iraq, and 44% are refugees in Syria or Jordan[ii]. There are also about 200,000 Iraqi refugees elsewhere in the world[iii]. Considering the population of Iraq, which is only about 27.5 million, this number is troubling.
Iraqi Refugees
There were approximately 2.2 million Iraqi refugees living outside of Iraq in September 2007[iv]. Syria holds the highest numbers of refugees, estimated between 1.2 and 1.4 million, followed by Jordan (500,000-750,000), Egypt (up to 70,000), Iran (7,000), Lebanon (20-40,000), and 200,000 in the Gulf States[v]. Many European countries are receiving refugees as well, with 36,200 in Germany, 22,000 in the UK, 23,600 in Sweden, 21,800 in the Netherlands, etc[vi]. The U.S. has only accepted about 900 refugees during 2006 and 1,600 in the 2007 fiscal year. The U.S. government has announced that it will admit 12,000 Iraqi refugees this year[vii], and to date has admitted 4,782 toward that goal[viii].
There are doubts about the accuracy of these numbers since refugees are fleeing illegally into other countries and many refuse to be registered for fear of being deported[ix]. Actual numbers therefore may be higher.
U.S. aid
Under the president’s proposed FY 2008 supplemental funding bill, $35 million is allocated for Iraqi refugee assistance[x]. A coalition group called Refugee Council USA, which includes groups such as Amnesty International, is increasing pressure on Congress to increase this funding[xi]. The coalition claims that $1.4 billion should be allocated in order to have a comprehensive humanitarian response[xii].
Although Syria is burdened with most of the Iraqi refugees, the high tension between the U.S. and Syrian governments may be an impediment to U.S. government sending aid to Syria. Syria opposed the U.S. attack on Iraq in 2003, and the U.S. accuses Syria of helping insurgent groups attack U.S. forces[xiii].
Refugees in Syria
It is estimated that 60,000 Iraqis flee from their homes every month[xiv], a majority of them going to Syria. Approximately 11,000 Iraqis enter Syria every week[xv].
Syria was the last Arab country that welcomed a large number of Iraq refugees, but it closed its borders without any official announcement[xvi]. Until February 2007, Iraqis were allowed to enter into Syria without visas so long as they left and reentered the country every 6 months[xvii]. The Syrian government changed this stance and reduced the border-issued visa to 15 days with a one-time 3-month renewal. Iraqis may still reenter Syria if they leave and spend 30 days outside the Syrian borders before applying for another visa. However, leaving every 3 months is both time consuming and financially burdensome so many Iraqis stay illegally. The Syrian government acknowledges the situation and is tolerating them[xviii]. The Syrian government has announced that it will impose the visa restriction on Iraqi refugees again after the fasting month of Ramadan[xix].
The Syrian government has not imposed any law preventing the children of Iraqi refugees from attending schools so approximately 32,000 children are attending public schools[xx]. Considering the total Iraqi refugee population, many more Iraqi children are expected to attend classes when the new academic year starts. With Syrian classrooms already crowded, new school facilities are needed.
When Iraqis enter the country, most are legally banned from working in Syria. The government does give work permits, but they are limited only to professionals such as doctors or engineers. Many others find jobs illegally and are regarded as cheap labor, which is ignored by the government. Some girls are forced by their families to earn money through prostitution, and the growing rates of child prostitution and trafficking are becoming a serious social problem[xxi].
Refugees in Jordan
Unlike Syria, Jordan gives Iraqi refugees the status of “illegal immigrants.” The Jordanian government was willing to take in these refugees until November 2005, when a hotel in Amman was bombed. After this incident, Iraqi refugees who had no legal residency status and had expired visas (which are usually tourist visas) were arrested and deported[xxii]. Due to the fear of being deported, many parents stayed hidden and stopped sending their children to school.
In August 2007, however, the Jordanian government announced that it would allow all Iraqi refugee children, including those whose parents have no residency permit, to attend public schools[xxiii]. At least 50,000 Iraqi children are expected to enroll in schools.
The plight of many women and girls in Jordan seems to be no better than in Syria, with many of them reported to be turning to prostitution[xxiv].
Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
Approximately one million IDPs existed even before the Iraq invasion in 2003[xxv], and the often quoted number of “2.2 million[xxvi] IDPs in Iraq” includes both this group and those who were displaced after 2003. The number of people displaced due to the 2003 Iraq invasion is thought to be 1,205,000 as of August, 2007[xxvii].
These numbers are approximate since insecurity in Iraq impedes the registration and monitoring of IDPs. For example, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) claims that a significant population return was monitored in 2003, but the UN figure may not have fully reflected this[xxviii]. Furthermore, many refugees returning from abroad end up “internally displaced” due to the ongoing conflict or property disputes[xxix].
The number of IDPs has increased by more than 50% since early 2006[xxx]. It is estimated that over 1 million people have been displaced by the sectarian violence, and “tens of thousands” displaced by military operations[xxxi]. The displacement of Iraqis is not focused in certain regions, but seems to be scattered throughout Iraq. The latest UN figure in September 2007 shows that the numbers of displaced people in northern, central and southern provinces are 800,900; 740,500; and 714,600 respectively[xxxii].
NETWORK on Refugees
USCCB Report on Iraqi Refugees
USCCB Office of Migration & Refugee Policy
Catholic Relief Services
CRS provides information on migration, internally displaced persons, refugees, and human trafficking, as well as how you can make a difference.
National Migration Conference 2008
Co-sponsored by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS), this event examines the unjust and inhumane treatment of victims of human trafficking, migrant children in detention, undocumented migrants, and other vulnerable persons seeking safe haven and a better life in this country.
[i] UNHCR. Statistics on Displaced Iraqis around the World. P.1. 17 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=SUBSITES&id=470387fc2>.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] UNHCR. Statistics on Displaced Iraqis around the World. September 2007. 17 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=SUBSITES&id=470387fc2>.
[v] Ibid
[vi] Ibid
[vii] CNN. U.S. to allow 7,000 Iraqi refugees. 15 February 2007. 24 October 2007. <http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/14/us.iraq.refugees/index.html >.
[viii] http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/04/iraqi.refugees/
[ix] Reuters UK. Iraq refugee may be undercounted, experts say. 2 October 2007. 17 October 2007. <http://uk.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUKN01324071._CH_.242020071002>.
[x] SIGIR. July 30, 2007 Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to Congress. 30 July 2007. 24 October 2007. <http://www.sigir.mil/reports/quarterlyreports/Jul07/pdf/Report_-_July_2007_Complete.pdf>.
[xi] Medill Reports. Critics say U.S. shrinking refugee responsibility. 10 October 2007. 24 October 2007. <http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=64831>.
[xii] Refugee Council USA. Recommended FY 2008 Supplemental Assistance for Internally Displaced Iraqis and Iraqi Refugees. 24 October 2007. <http://www.rcusa.org/index.php?page=recommended-fy-2008-supplemental-assistance-for-internally-displaced-iraqis-and-iraqi-refugees>.
[xiii] Reuters.
[xiv] UNHCR. Growing Needs Amid Continuing Displacement. 17 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/iraq?page=intro>.
[xv] UNHCR. Iraq Situation Map. October 2006. 17 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/iraq?page=maps>.
[xvi] Washington Post. Syria Bars Iraq Refugees, Crisis Worsens. 17 October 2007. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021200788.html>.
[xvii] Ibid.
[xviii] Amnesty International. Iraq: The situation of Iraqi refugees in Syria. 26 July 2007. 17 October 2007. <http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140362007>.
[xix] Reuters. Syria morally responsible for Iraqi refugees-Iraq VP. 27 September 2007. 24 October 2007. <http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSOWE758406>.
[xx] Amnesty International. Iraq: Millions in flight: the Iraqi refugee crisis. 24 September 2007. 17 October 2007. <http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140412007?open&of=ENG-IRQ>.
[xxi] Ibid.
[xxii] Human Rights Watch. Jordan: Bush and Abdullah Must Address Iraqi Refugee Crisis. 28 November 2006. 24 October 2007. <http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/11/28/jordan14670.htm>.
[xxiii] UNHCR. Jordan: Iraq refugee children start school. 21 August 2007. 24 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46cab8284.html>.
[xxiv] The Associated Press. Iraqi Refugees Turn to Prostitution. 24 October 2007. <http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gJ_6WrwJ2aQJHU3gO34fs_bxD6Aw>.
[xxv] The Brookings Institution. Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq. P.33. 17 October 2007. <http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf>.
[xxvi] UNHCR. Statistics on Displaced Iraqis around the World. P.1. 17 October 2007. <http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=SUBSITES&id=470387fc2>.
[xxvii] The Brookings Institution. P.33.
[xxviii] IDMC. Total internally displaced population is estimated to be more then 2 million (as of September 2007). 17 October 2007. <http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes
)/ B6C0B024031DFA0F802570B8005A74D6?OpenDocument>.
[xxix] IDMC. Many refugees return to a situation of displacement (2005). 17 October 2007. <http://www.inter nal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/59820CEDC13A675E802570B8005A7 0D7?OpenDocument>.
[xxx] UNHCR.
[xxxi] Military operations were the main cause for the repeated displacement in Anbar province in the west.
[xxxii] Cited by IDMC.
