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Iraqi Refugees Arriving in U.S. for Settlement
Submitted by jgehring on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 11:02am.
Story summary:
Thousands of Iraqi refugees have arrived in the United States as part of a nationwide resettlement program to bring 12,000 Iraqis to the United States by the end of next month, officials said. About a quarter of the 9,000 Iraqi refugees already here arrived over the past month, according to a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR. Most come from secondary countries including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. A resettlement program run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has received five Iraqi families in recent months — a total of 19 people — and more are expected, according to executive director Kevin Hickey.
Iraqi Refugees Arriving in U.S. for Settlement
Associated Press
8-20-08
New Jersey — and the New York metropolitan area — are not usually major destinations for refugee resettlement because of the high cost of living and already-overburdened social service system typical of urban areas. Generally, most refugees are sent to smaller towns and cities across the U.S., officials say. The U.S. government has agreed to accept 12,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of its fiscal year on Sept. 30. An additional 5,000 are being sent here under a special visa program for Iraqis who have worked with the U.S. military, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State. An estimated 2 million Iraqis have fled their homeland since the conflict began, and the United Nations' refugee organization estimates more than 2 million people also are displaced within Iraq.