[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2338-S2339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IRAQI REFUGEES RESETTLE IN VERMONT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, at a time when we are all concerned with 
the fate of Iraqi refugees and the need to help as many of them as 
possible resettle in safe havens, I ask unanimous consent that a March 
24, 2008, article in the Brattleboro Reformer entitled ``Difficult 
Choices: Son's Birth Deepens Couple's Concern Over Future,'' be printed 
in the Record.
  This article illustrates what Vermonters are doing to help two Iraqi 
refugees, Revan Hedo and Aseel Pola, who recently gave birth to 
Brattleboro, Vermont's first Iraqi-American citizen, Matthew. As 
Vermonters and other Americans open their hearts, their homes, and 
their wallets to try to alleviate the suffering of Iraqis who have been 
forced to flee their homeland to escape the violence, it is an 
important reminder that no matter how one may feel about this war, 
there is a humanitarian dimension that requires everyone's attention. I 
am proud that Vermonters are doing their part.
  We all hope that some day Iraq will be safe enough for those who want 
to return home to do so. But there are some 2 million Iraqi refugees 
stranded in Jordan, Syria, and other countries, and millions more 
displaced inside Iraq. Only a tiny fraction of those who need and 
deserve our help have received U.S. visas. This is unconscionable. I 
urge the White House to expedite the processing for resettlement of 
Iraqis whose lives are threatened because they had the courage to serve 
as translators, drivers, and provide other services to the United 
States. These people risked their lives for us, and they have every 
reason to expect that we will not abandon them.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                  [From the Reformer, Mar. 24, 2008.]

  Difficult Choices--Son's Birth Deepens Couple's Concern Over Future

                            (By Bob Audette)

       Brattleboro.--One year ago today, Iraqi natives Revan Hedo 
     and Aseel Pola were married in their home country.
       Ten days ago, Aseel gave birth to a baby boy, Matthew, the 
     first Iraqi-American born in Brattleboro. His birth heralded 
     a new chapter in the lives of Hedo and Pola, a Catholic 
     couple with family in Iraq but no safe home to return to.
       While Matthew is guaranteed a life in the United States by 
     right of his birth, his parents may one day have to return to 
     the Middle East--with or without their son--when their visas 
     expire.
       ``My son is a U.S. citizen,'' said Hedo, proudly.
       Hedo, now 29, first came to the United States in 2004 on a 
     Fulbright scholarship with which he earned a master's degree 
     in comparative literature and simultaneous translation from 
     the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He returned to 
     Iraq in 2006 and married Pola. In August 2007, he and his new 
     wife returned to the states, so he could earn a master's in 
     the Art of Education at the School for International Training 
     Graduate Institute.
       As an Iraqi, he served as an interpreter for U.S. forces, 
     translating for high-ranking officials such as L. Paul 
     Bremer, Gen. John Abizaid and England Foreign Secretary Jack 
     Straw. One reason for renewing his visa was because living in 
     Iraq had become too dangerous for him and his new wife.
       ``My life was in jeopardy,'' he said. ``Everyone knew I had 
     been to the United States and had been working for U.S. 
     military forces.''
       Francis Bailey, an associate professor at UMass, who 
     befriended Hedo during his two years in Amherst, offered the 
     couple a place to live rent free. Bailey was teaching at SIT 
     and offered to sponsor the couple's stay in the United 
     States.
       ``I was frustrated with the decision to invade Iraq,'' said 
     Bailey. Giving Hedo and Pola a place to live was ``an 
     opportunity to make an individual difference,'' said Bailey. 
     ``This was my choice.''
       Because of the danger to him, his wife and their new son, 
     returning to Iraq is out of the question, but barring some 
     miracle, they can't legally remain in the United States after 
     their visas expire. Even having a son with American 
     citizenship doesn't guarantee the couple can stay here.
       Financially, things have also been difficult for the 
     couple.
       Pola, a microbiologist, doesn't work, and Hedo's visa only 
     allows him to work 10 hours a week in SIT's library, not 
     nearly enough money to pay for the daily necessities, never 
     mind the bill at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital for the birth 
     of their son. While Hedo has insurance through SIT, Pola has 
     no coverage.
       The congregation at St. Michael's Catholic Church on Walnut 
     Street has been essential in helping the couple keep their 
     heads above water as has the international community on the 
     campus of SIT.
       ``Our friends at SIT showed us the spirit of diversity, the 
     respect of other cultures and hospitality,'' said Hedo, 
     adding, ``The neighbors are wonderful. They've really 
     supported us, especially emotionally.''
       ``The town is very nice and beautiful,'' said Pola. 
     ``People are really friendly.''
       Her biggest hope for her son is that he grows up in a 
     family with both a mother and a father. Pola's father spent 
     several years as a prisoner of war during the Iraq-Iran War 
     of the 1980s. In 2001, when she was 19, he was shot dead on 
     his front steps by minions of Saddam Hussein.
       One day, they hope to return to Iraq, but right now they 
     consider their trip to the United States ``a one-way 
     ticket,'' said Hedo. ``We can't go back.''
       ``We want to be able to live in peace (in Iraq),'' he said, 
     ``To be respected no matter what our beliefs are. We would 
     love to live in an environment with a lot of tolerance, just 
     like Brattleboro.''

[[Page S2339]]

       Pola has two simple wishes.
       ``I want to hear that my family is living in peace, not in 
     war, worried all the time, and to have the hope of seeing 
     them.''
       Hedo and Pola have also received support from their 
     friends, Noah and Natalie Baker Merrill.
       ``It's very important in these times for Americans to get 
     to know Iraqis and see them as their neighbors,'' said Noah 
     Baker Merrill, a founder of Direct Aid International, which 
     helps Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan.
       Baker Merrill and his wife met Hedo and Pola through SIT, 
     where Natalie is a student advocate.
       The United States has done a disgraceful job in helping the 
     refugees, said Baker Merrill, accepting only 1,800 of the 2 
     to 2.5 million who have fled Iraq.
       Nearly 100,000 Iraqis have been allowed to settle in 
     Sweden, but the majority live in refugee camps in Jordan and 
     Syria. Resettlement in a different country is not the answer, 
     said Baker Merrill. Making Iraq a safe country that Iraqis 
     can return to is the answer.
       ``The overwhelming majority just desperately want to be 
     able to go home.''

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