Iraqi Contractors Frozen Out of U.S.

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

Thousands of Iraqis whose support for the U.S. war effort in Iraq has put them and their families in grave danger at home are being excluded from a new fast-track system aimed at speeding up refugee resettlement in the United States for American allies, officials said Thursday.

The Bush administration within the next month will begin accepting refugee applications directly from the about 100 Iraqi employees of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and their relatives, letting them bypass an often-lengthy U.N. referral process in third countries where they must travel at great expense, they said.

But possibly tens of thousands more at-risk Iraqis — those who worked for private contractors, aid agencies or media outlets and their relatives — won't be eligible due to objections from the Homeland Security Department, which fears that terrorists might use it to slip into the country, the officials said.

Homeland Security is effectively blocking contract employees, like drivers, translators, technicians, from benefiting from the initiative by insisting they provide official U.S. references and sponsors before applying for resettlement, a more stringent standard than for direct hires and even those in the U.N. system, according to the officials.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071130/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraqi_refugees

[HowHasItComeToThis]

1. THIS WAS THE "PRIVATIZATION WAR" , MAKE NO MISTAKE

[calimary]

5. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - WHAT have we done?

What have we done?

What HELL hath we wrought?

God have mercy on our souls.:banghead:

[simmonsj811]

2. Hell they want have to

Slip in they can just walk right behind the rest of the people thur the southern boder. Ain't nobody at the hemn:crazy: :shrug:

[madeline_con]

3. Oh, please!

I thought our all powerful Homeland Security Office was on the job. You mean terra-ists might slip through amongst the refugees? :crazy:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. pathetic

Nothing is going to encourage Iraqi cooperation than the knowledge they will be left behind to face beheading!
Even the Nazi's were pretty serious about providing for the safety of those who served them in occupied Europe.