I can't imagine this going over very well, especially considering America's feelings on immigration.
And here we are going to bring Iraqis in?
What if they are "Al-CIA-Duhs?"
"Syria to Let U.S. In to Screen Iraqis Seeking Resettlement" by Matthew Lee/Associated Press November 9, 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 — Syria has agreed to allow American interviewers into the country to screen Iraqi refugees for admission to the United States, clearing a major obstacle to the Bush administration’s resettlement program, the State Department said Thursday.
The move follows a visit to Damascus in late October by senior American envoys who won permission for Department of Homeland Security officials to go to Syria to vet Iraqi refugees awaiting clearance to enter the United States, said C. David Welch, the assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs.
Welch, in prepared remarks, told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee:
“Syria has committed to issue visas to D.H.S. adjudicators, who, in the coming weeks, will be interviewing hundreds of Iraqis referred by UNHCR (The UN High Commissioner for Refugees) to the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. In this respect we do appreciate Syria’s decision to renew cooperation with us on our programs to address this humanitarian issue."
Then why you always hassling them for Israel?!
How about giving Syria some credit once in a while?
Refugee advocates welcomed the Syrian decision but said it was critical for the United States to continue high-level engagement with Syria and other countries in the region that are sheltering more than two million Iraqis who have fled violence in their country since the 2003 United States-led invasion.
Jacob Kurtzer, a Congressional advocate for Refugees International:
“This is obviously very good news. We’re very happy, but it really does draw attention to the need for a continuous high-level diplomatic presence in Syria and the rest of the region.”
The United States plans to admit 12,000 refugees this fiscal year."
That ought to get the immigration forces riled up, huh?
