Yesterday, CBS News ran a touching piece highlighting Abdul, an Iraqi translator who was lucky enough to immigrate to the United States under the Special Immigrant Visa Program. Yet the segment failed to note what an anomaly Abdul’s situation is, and only briefly noted at the end of the segment that the State Department has stopped processing the applications of 551 Iraqi and Afghan translators “because the current legal quota of 500 visas for the program this year is about to be reached.” Watch it:
Abdul is even more fortunate when compared to the overall Iraqi population. More than 2 million Iraqis have fled since the 2003 invasion. In 2007, the United States admitted 1,608 Iraqi refugees — well below its goal of 7,000 — but “up from 202 the previous year.” The State Department has a goal of 12,000 refugees for 2008.
(HT: Heather)
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