US crosses halfway point on goal for admitting Iraqi refugees

The State Department said Tuesday that 1,721 Iraqi refugees entered the country last month, up from 1,141 in May, the first time since 2003 that the administrations target of 1,000 per month mark had been surpassed. In April, 974 Iraqis were admitted.

 

The 12,000 target is far lower than many other countries, notably Sweden, which has admitted about 40,000 since 2003. And it is only a small slice of the 2 million Iraqis who have fled to neighboring countries, mainly Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt. Â

 

June’s admissions brought the number of Iraqi refugees accepted in the U.S. to 6,463 since the current budget year began on Oct. 1. This gives the administration three months to accept 5,537 more refugees to reach its goal of 12,000.

 

Last year's goal had been 7,000, set in February, which would have required 1,000 per month to reach the goal by the Oct. 1 end of the budget year. By that date, however, no more than 1,608 had been brought in.

 

"We welcome the Bush administrations efforts to increase the number of resettled Iraqis and we hope that more Iraqis will be allowed in," said Kristele Younes of Refugees International, a Washington-based advocacy group. "However, for a stable Iraq, the U.S. must also increase assistance for millions of Iraqi refugees languishing in the region."

 

The rising numbers of admitted Iraqis are the result of a push to streamline the process by the departments of State and Homeland Security, which run the operation.

 

The Bush administration has come under criticism from advocacy groups and lawmakers for its performance on admitting Iraqi refugees who have fled violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Many critics say, and officials have acknowledged, that the administration has a moral obligation to the refugees.