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Immigration

International Refugee Day

Posted on Tuesday June 19, 2007

June 20 is International Refugee Day, serving as a timely reminder of the plight of refugees and the humanitarian crises that continue in Iraq, Palestine and Darfur.

Iraq

The United Nations estimates that four million Iraqis have fled their homes, with over one million now in Syria. According to McClatchy, “U.N. aid workers who provide services to trauma victims and families with medical emergencies are overwhelmed – nearly every Iraqi qualifies.”

Especially troubling is the increasing number of Iraqi and Afghani translators who find themselves and their families in increased danger because they have worked with American troops. A measure sponsored by Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and recently signed into law begins to address the issue, increasing the number of visas for translators from 50 to 500 a year.

Read also: Baltimore Sun – U.S. must do more for Iraqi refugees

Palestine

The situation of the Palestinian refugees is one of the world’s largest and most enduring refugee problems. There are more than 4.4 million Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, 1.3 million of whom live in 58 recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Discussions to allow them to return to their former homes within Israel, to receive compensation or be resettled in new locations have yet to reach a definite conclusion.

As world leaders try to contend with the crisis in Gaza, it is imperative that these leaders aid the refugees stranded at the border, and ensure the safety of the nearly one million refugees living in Gaza before the crisis erupted.

Darfur

Over the past three years, at least 400,000 Muslims have been killed in Darfur. More than two million have been forced to flee their homes and now live in refugee camps in Sudan or neighboring Chad.

AAI has called upon the international community to immediately provide safety and security to the millions of Darfurian refugees, running targeted ads on Arabic-language satellite television.

An expanded UN peacekeeping force and humanitarian aid is desperately needed for this region.