[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H8176-H8177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1845
                    OUR HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, last week this House voted to end the 
occupation of Iraq. Some of those who opposed that action argued that 
bringing our troops home out of Iraq will increase the violence there 
and perhaps even lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. But what they 
forget, or choose to ignore, is that a humanitarian catastrophe has 
already occurred in Iraq. It is getting worse every day. That 
catastrophe includes the refugee crisis in that devastated nation.
  Last week the United States Committee for Refugees reported that the 
number of refugees in the world rose last year to its highest level 
since 2001. One of the main reasons was the great exodus from Iraq. All 
told, more than 2 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their 
country. Close to 2 million more have been displaced internally. That 
is a total, Mr. Speaker, of 4 million refugees, 50 percent of whom are 
children, and tens of thousands more are leaving every single month.
  Many of the refugees are in dire straits. Recently United Nations 
inspectors visited one refugee camp and found more than 2,000 people 
living in tents. They had no clothes except for the clothes on their 
backs. They had no medical care. They had no drinkable water. They had 
no toilets. Many of the children had typhoid and other illnesses and 
were living among snakes and scorpions.
  Sweden, to its great credit, is accepting more than 1,000 refugees 
every month. The population of Sweden is only 9 million people. The 
United States, with a population of 300 million, accepted only 202 last 
year. Not 202,000, but 202. We have accepted only somewhere around 700 
since our occupation of Iraq began.
  That is a disgraceful record. Every Member of this House should feel 
ashamed. That goes for all of us; those who support the war and those 
who oppose it. We may disagree about policy, but surely we can agree 
that we have a moral obligation to do more about a terrible refugee 
problem that our occupation has created. After all, many of the 
refugees have had to flee because they cooperated with our troops in 
the first place, or they cooperated with American contractors. We can't 
turn our backs on them now.
  That is why I am urging all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2265, 
the Responsibility to Iraq Refugees Act of 2007, sponsored by 
Representative Blumenauer along with Representative Shays and 
Representative Schakowsky.
  I especially challenge those Members who want our occupation of Iraq 
to continue to support this bill. Don't just warn us about a 
humanitarian crisis. Do something about the one that already exists.
  The bill would provide special immigrant status to 15,000 Iraqis 
every year for 4 years. The bill would also provide a safe haven for at 
least 20,000 more Iraqis, including children, who have been left all 
alone in the world. Giving these young people a chance in life is not 
only honorable, it is smart because these impoverished children could 
become prime targets for recruitment by terrorists.
  To me, this bill represents the true heart of America, the good and 
caring heart that has compassion for the people of the world. But our 
leaders do not seem to share this compassion. Recently, for example, 
former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton denied that the United States has 
any responsibility

[[Page H8177]]

for the refugee crisis. He said, ``Our obligation was to give the 
Iraqis new institutions and provide security. We have fulfilled that 
obligation. I don't think we have an obligation to compensate for the 
hardships of war.''
  This is the kind of arrogance, Mr. Speaker, that has destroyed 
America's reputation and credibility around the world. We must reclaim 
our moral leadership. We can start by helping the Iraqi refugees. It's 
the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do as we bring our 
troops home.

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