For
Immediate Release
January 18, 2008
Contact: April Siruno, 202-266-1908
asiruno@migrationpolicy.org
New MPI Report Provides Comprehensive Overview of Regional Developments, U.S. Response and the Latest Data
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The financial, social and increasingly
political burden of hosting 2.2 million Iraqi refugees has been
left to countries in the Middle East, namely Syria, Jordan and
Lebanon, while 2.3 million internally displaced Iraqis face closed
internal borders and dwindling resources. In total, 4.5
million Iraqis have been displaced from their homes, including
those displaced before the 2003 U.S. invasion.
A new MPI report
entitled “The Iraqi Refugee Crisis: The Need for Action” breaks
down the internally displaced Iraqi population by religion and highlights the
key challenges of the Iraqi refugee crisis:
- Sixty-three percent of registered internally displaced
persons (IDPs) are Shia Muslim and 32 percent are Sunni Muslim. According
to the Iraqi Ministry for Migration and Displacement, almost
half the members of Iraq’s non-Muslim minorities have
fled abroad.
- By December 2007, fewer than 5,000 Iraqis had departed
for various resettlement countries, including the United
States, with Sweden accepting the largest number of claims. In
fiscal year 2007, only 1,608 Iraqis were admitted as refugees
to the United States although the U.S. Refugee Resettlement
Program had allocated space for 7,000 and UNHCR had made
over 10,000 referrals.
- Between September and December 2007, 45,913 Iraqis
returned from Syria. Only 14 percent of those surveyed by
UNHCR said they returned because of improved security conditions. Almost
70 percent listed inability to afford living in Syria, coupled
with stricter visa requirements and the inability to work,
as their main motivations for returning.
- Eleven of Iraq’s
18 governorates have restrictions on movement within Iraq, forcing
IDPs to return to the violent neighborhoods they were trying
to flee. Among
the 2.3. million IDPs, religious minorities are particularly
at risk, as are former employees of the U.S. and other coalition
governments.
- Syria, Jordan and Lebanon are not signatories to
the 1951 Refugee Convention. Refugees in those countries
have very little legal protection, are banned from working
and are subject to changing requirements for entry and stay. Syria
introduced visa restrictions October 1, 2007, although some
field reports indicate that Iraqis who approach the border
can obtain visas there. Jordan closed its borders at the
end of 2005, and Saudi Arabia is building a 560-mile fence
along the Iraq border.
- As of November 2007, 500 Iraqis
were being detained in Lebanon, with UNHCR estimating that
50 to 60 are arrested each month. Detainees are given
the option for a “voluntary
deportation” where the choice is to stay in jail or
return to Iraq.
- Iraqi asylum claims doubled in the first six months
of 2007 compared to the first six months of 2006 according
to UNHCR. Those who can afford the transnational
journey to seek asylum are met with restrictive administrative
practices.
The report, which contains maps and tables, is available online
at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/MPI-The_Iraqi_Refugee_Crisis_The_Need_for_Action_011808.pdf
|
