PenceBlog: Iraq refugee hearing - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence : 6th District Of Indiana

Yesterday, the House Middle East Subcommittee held a hearing on the refugee crisis in Iraq. Congressman Pence, the ranking member on the committee, took part in the hearing and highlighted the crisis as it relates to Iraqi Christians. You can read an AP report on it here and read Congressman Pence's remarks below:

"Chairman Ackerman, I thank you for calling this important hearing and welcome our witnesses.

"Mr. Chairman, regardless of one’s position on the war, whether the initial debate over the authorization of force in 2002 or the surge that began less than six weeks ago, one cannot help but be moved by the plight of millions of Iraqi refugees, internally displaced persons and the awful prospect of ethnic cleansing that grips today’s situation.

"And, many of the best and brightest are leaving. Page one of yesterday’s Los Angeles Times has an article entitled, 'A Searing Assault on Iraq's Intellectuals. ' The author states: 'The middle class is fleeing the violence and threats, leaving the question: who will lead?'

"Mr. Chairman, a more vexing question is the subject of how the United States treats those who risked their lives in support of our troops and diplomats. I am pleased that this subcommittee is taking this critically important subject up today.

"I believe that two classes of people are represented in today’s hearing: first is the relatively small group of translators, affectionately called by their American handlers as 'terps',' which is short for 'interpreters,' not the Maryland basketball team. These people, like our witness, Sarah, were vetted and then employed by U.S. government entities.

"For the record, I note that this subcommittee is not an adjudicatory body with power to rule on the merits of her case.

"As our witness, author George Packer notes, employment with the U.S. can, tragically, be a death sentence. Protecting and assisting those who helped us is a moral obligation.

"Then there is the larger refugee problem, one numbering perhaps millions of candidates for political asylum, people who face living conditions too dangerous to return to. There are now millions of Iraqis living in Syria, Jordan and elsewhere. How we should address their sad plight is the focus of this hearing.

"Mr. Chairman, a special word about my Christian brethren in Iraq. Some of the oldest Christian churches and communities in the world exist in Iraq. Most Iraqi Christians are Chaldeans, Eastern-rite Catholics. Chaldeans are an ancient people, many of whom still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Christians of all kinds comprise about 5 percent of Iraq's population but make up nearly 40 percent of the refugees fleeing Iraq, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ten of Baghdad's 80 Christian churches have closed, and more than half of Baghdad's Christian population has fled, by some estimates. This is a tragic result for an historic community.

"Mr. Chairman, I believe that the larger problem of millions of the refugees and IDP’s speaks to the importance of our efforts there. If there is to be a peaceful and stable Iraq, one that all sects and creeds can peaceably coexist in, then Baghdad must be secure and ruled by law and order. The best hope for Baghdad becoming secure is through the surge currently underway. We have an obligation to equip our armed forces with the tools they need for success which would then make an Iraq that most refugees would want to come home to.

"Mr. Chairman, the question of striking the right balance between legitimate security vetting that must properly screen those seeking refugee status and the humanitarian and moral obligation we have to protect those who have helped us is terribly important. On its face, the sheer number of those granted asylum seems pathetically meager. Yet, I understand that no one wants to be the official who allowed in those would destroy America. I hope that Secretary Sauerbrey will help us sort through these issues.

"Mr. Chairman, thank you again for calling this important hearing and I look forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses."

Labels: Iraq refugees

posted by Pence Press Office # 8:28 AM