By New York Times
IRAP’s January 18th Letter to the Editor, published in the New York Times, calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to designate additional Priority-2 groups of Iraqis at imminent risk of death or torture for expedited processing to the United States.
A version of this letter appeared in print on January 18, 2011, on page A24 of the New York edition.
To the Editor:
Two million Iraqis have already left their country, including 600,000 of the estimated 1.2 million Christians in Iraq in 2003. The new wave of violence against Christians in Iraq (“Under Siege,” editorial, Jan. 6) makes clear that the Iraqi refugee crisis will worsen before it improves.
So far, the international community has fallen short on assisting vulnerable Iraqis. Instead of providing an expedited route to safety, the United States refugee system includes redundant and onerous documentation requirements and forces Iraqi families to wait for months or years.
The United States must expedite the evacuation of Iraqi minority groups at imminent risk of death or torture, including Christians.
The United States can give vulnerable groups of Iraqis accelerated processing under the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act, but currently does so only for Iraqis who assisted the United States mission, leaving behind thousands in need. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should immediately look into creating new priority groups for religious minorities, victims of sexual slavery and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis.
Becca Heller
Director
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project
New York, Jan. 6, 2011
IRAP’s January 18th Letter to the Editor, published in the New York Times, calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to designate additional Priority-2 groups of Iraqis at imminent risk of death or torture for expedited processing to the United States.
A version of this letter appeared in print on January 18, 2011, on page A24 of the New York edition.
To the Editor:
Two million Iraqis have already left their country, including 600,000 of the estimated 1.2 million Christians in Iraq in 2003. The new wave of violence against Christians in Iraq (“Under Siege,” editorial, Jan. 6) makes clear that the Iraqi refugee crisis will worsen before it improves.
So far, the international community has fallen short on assisting vulnerable Iraqis. Instead of providing an expedited route to safety, the United States refugee system includes redundant and onerous documentation requirements and forces Iraqi families to wait for months or years.
The United States must expedite the evacuation of Iraqi minority groups at imminent risk of death or torture, including Christians.
The United States can give vulnerable groups of Iraqis accelerated processing under the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act, but currently does so only for Iraqis who assisted the United States mission, leaving behind thousands in need. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should immediately look into creating new priority groups for religious minorities, victims of sexual slavery and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis.
Becca Heller
Director
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project
New York, Jan. 6, 2011