In an op-ed appearing in today’s Boston Herald, the authors outline the immediate steps that the Obama administration should take to fix a broken SIV admissions system and make good on the promise the United States made to our Iraqi allies– a promise embodied in the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007.
First, the authors argue, Homeland Security needs more resources to clear the security check backlog. Second, a formal expedite procedure should be developed for applicants facing immediate danger. Third, there should be a clear process to appeal an incorrect or arbitrary decision. An SIV applicant who is now rejected is told only that there is some “derogatory information” in their file and is barred from appealing or addressing this “information,” even in the case of applicants with nine U.S. military officers recommending them.
If it is not possible to immediately clear the backlog or expedite the cases of our allies still trapped in Iraq, the authors argue that a more drastic solution is necessary: an airlift to Guam– a move the U.S. has made before and that has support among Guamian politicians.
Read the full piece here.
Comments are closed.