Writings by Cathy Breen

Iraqi Refugees and Resettlement

Jeff Leys — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:20:25 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Cathy Breen writes regarding the challenges faced by Iraqi refugees in navigating the resettlement process.

Excerpt

Damascus, Syria
June 26, 2009

Cathy Breen with Iraqi Child in SyriaDear Friends,

My time in Syria is coming to a close. Tomorrow I will head to Jordan for a couple of days and then back to the big apple on July 1st. A final session with UNHCR the other day brought a sense of closure in some ways, as I was able to discuss concerns and turn over concrete “cases” for their consideration. We spoke of the increasingly desperate situation of Iraqi refugees here, one hidden from the world by the lack of media coverage. But we also acknowledged the many small miracles and victories we continue to witness.

A young Iraqi woman (I will call her Zayneb), mother of four small children, wrote a little book about a horse with hidden wings. She wanted to honor the staff at the UNHCR here in Damascus by dedicating the book to them. “Everyone knows” she told her grandmother as a child “that horses can’t fly.” But her grandmother, still living in Baghdad, could not be persuaded otherwise. She insisted that the horse she saw could fly! But it is Zayneb’s deep sense of gratitude that leaps out from the pages.

Body

Damascus, Syria
June 26, 2009

Cathy Breen with Iraqi Child in SyriaDear Friends,

While at the UNHCR, a colleague gave me a copy of a report which the International Rescue Committee (IRC) issued this month, IRAQI REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES: IN DIRE STRAITS. In February of 2008 a Commission on Iraqi refugees formed by the IRC visited Jordan and Syria to assess the condition of Iraqi refugees and then issued a comprehensive report entitled Five Years Later, A Hidden Crisis. In February of 2009 the IRC conducted a follow-up trip to the Middle East, and in April their delegations traveled to Atlanta, Georgia and Phoenix, Arizona to see firsthand how resettled Iraqis are adjusting to their new life in America.

“…most Iraqi refugees who were interviewed painted a picture of despair and frustration. Refugees [in the states] are finding it difficult to find a job and without secure income some are facing eviction from their homes. Without jobs, refugees cannot support themselves and their families on limited public assistance. Many of the Iraqis are traumatized and need additional support in the face of financial assistance, English lessons, employment counseling and access to health care.”

The report continues “Despite these difficulties, resettlement in the United States remains the only option for thousands of Iraqi refugees who are still in exile in the Middle East, primarily in Jordan and Syria.” The report concludes that “the U.S. resettlement program, likely the only safe alternative for thousands of Iraqi refugees, faces major structural challenges in its organization and funding. These challenges are exacerbated by a simultaneous global economic downturn and resettlement of a highly educated refugee population with many special needs…”

Over the last three months you may have read some of my communications. I have tried to describe something of the reality that Iraqis here and in Jordan are facing as a result of the war. I am amazed at the number of Iraqis here in Syria whom I met some years back in Jordan. Many returned to Iraq to see a sick family member, to sell a house or car, to get the “G” passport, etc., but then had to flee to Syria as the Jordanian borders were closed to them after 2006. My stories must seem anecdotal at times, and it is an ongoing struggle to try and put them in a larger political context in order to affect some concrete changes. Changes that might better their situations somehow, at least give them hope that there will be an end to their exile.

It is imperative to get Iraqi families and individuals who have family and sponsors in the U.S. reunited. This challenge seems daunting in the case of families/individuals who have been rejected resettlement by DHS, mostly on “credibility” rulings. The arbitrariness of these decisions must be acknowledged, and we must find ways to reverse them.

Yesterday I was with two families both of whom have close family members in the states, and yet both have been rejected on “credibility” grounds. I spend several hours with one family and held their severely disabled granddaughter in my arms. I basked in the love I witnessed for this child. I wrote about the grandfather, only in his 50s, who was asked by a DHS officer “Did you or did you not cook?” His military document stated that he was a cook, but in fact his military supervisor assigned him administrative duties in a cafeteria on an Air Force base when he saw that he had a degree in Hotel Management.

Their simple desire to be reunited with family in the U.S. has been denied. Is it possible that such a decision cannot be overturned? I refuse, WE must refuse, to accept this.

The other challenge of course are the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis stuck in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, etc. who are not even in the resettlement pool, so to speak, let alone in the Jacuzzi. There are fewer and fewer “slots” in terms of countries willing to take them.

Most likely this will be the last letter I will write from the Middle East. Like Zayneb, I have no words to express my own gratitude to you for your support and concern over these last months. Thank you for making this trip possible.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Gifts

Dan Pearson — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:32:04 -0500

Short Information Teaser

The challenges faced by one Iraqi family seeking to immigrate to the U.S.

Excerpt

Damascus, Syria
June 16, 2009

Middle Eastern people are by nature gift givers. My room and the refrigerator outside on the patio attest to this. The homemade yogurt from Namir’s family and the jar of cherry jam from Sara, mother of four; are in the process of being consumed. However, the large oil painting from 16 year old Noor, a bar of soap carved into the shape of a foot by little Anfal and a large Arabic bible are just a few of the lasting items so lovingly given to me.

Body

Damascus, Syria
June 16, 2009

During my brief overnight trip to Aleppo I was walking with Iraqi friends through one of the world famous souqs. The rich smell of spices, the intricately fashioned inlaid tables and the beautiful woven scarves and colorful fabrics were just a few of the things that delighted my senses. I dared not admire anything openly. I was certain that if I did the family, refugees themselves, would have purchased the item for me. As it was they did indeed buy me something, a set of beautiful prayer beads.

As I write you on this Tuesday morning, I am thinking of an Iraqi friend who is standing at this moment under the hot sun with hundreds of others at the UNHCR hoping to speak with someone about his case. Another family of nine is being interviewed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for resettlement to the U.S. They were so nervous. Yet another family is due to depart tonight from Damascus to the U.S. That is, the mother and four children are slated to travel. The father has been rejected by DHS on “credibility” grounds. He must remain behind. They were advised that should the wife and children refuse the offer to travel, they would lose any hope of resettlement. Once in the states, the wife was told she can file papers in the US. Maybe her husband can join them in a year or two. His mother, three sisters and brother live in the states.

I just got off the phone with a trusted translator friend who only days ago introduced me to this family. Shall we go to the airport to see them off? I’m not sure I can bear to witness the family’s grief. Their four year old daughter (pictured above) said “I’m going to wait behind with you. I don’t want to leave you.”

In the last days we have been trying desperately to get this decision overturned. I will go to internet in a little while to see if our urgent appeal has reached the ears of any congress people. But I feel like we are trying to move a mountain.

In the final chapter of his book “The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool: A Syrian Journey,” we find the author Marius Kochiejowski in a half-jesting dialogue with his Sufi alchemist friend, Sulayman, from Damascus. Marius tells him that there are no tents in London, nor camels for that matter, should Sulayman decide to travel there. Sulayman replies “All right then, when I arrive with the camel I will give [the neighbors] gifts and they will grow to like the camel. A human being is a creature of gifts, which is why for four thousand years you’ve loved Santa Claus because he gives gifts.”

You are probably asking yourself what does Sulayman or Santa Claus for that matter, have to do with people waiting in vain for hot hours in the scorching sun? Or with a family so desperate that they would agree to separate. I’m not really sure myself.

I believe however that despite the ongoing war(s), we are not by any means just takers of life, inflictors of suffering. We are also givers of life, givers of gifts. More important than the small gesture of money however is the message you send them that they are not forgotten. I take every opportunity to tell them that many many people in the U.S. are trying to better their situation. Each one of them has asked me to thank you.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Did You or Did You Not Cook?

Jeff Leys — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:28:47 -0500

Short Information Teaser

The challenges faced by one Iraqi family seeking to immigrate to the U.S.

Excerpt

Damascus, Syria
May 19, 2009

Did you or did you not cook?

It seems like such a harmless question, but the simple yes or no answer to that question can determine the fate of an Iraqi family longing to join their relatives in the United States.

Body

Damascus, Syria
May 19, 2009

Did you or did you not cook?

It seems like such a harmless question, but the simple yes or no answer to that question can determine the fate of an Iraqi family longing to join their relatives in the United States.

I would ask you to take a moment and try and put yourself in the shoes of an Iraqi family. They could be your family or mine. The parents are about 50 years of age, and they have seven children. They have three married daughters in Iraq. Their oldest son is married and together with his wife and two little girls share the parents’ modest apartment here in the city. Their oldest daughter, three years old, is severely handicapped. The parents have two more daughters and their youngest son, a 13 year old, who complete this household of nine in Damascus.

The father has an aunt in Detroit, Michigan and one of his sister’s was resettled to California over a year ago. She uses crutches as she had polio as a small child. She is lonely and very anxious for her brother and his family to join her.

This family fled to Syria in the summer of 2007 after receiving threats from the Mujahedeen and a kidnapping attempt on the wife and one of the daughters. As a Christian family they were and continue to be, particularly targeted. They left everything behind to save their lives. They feel they have nothing to return to except certain death.

Now I will ask you to shift gears to the present time. Before an Iraqi individual or family can be accepted to the US for resettlement, they must undergo an interview with a representative from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Iraqis know that this meeting is decisive, a one-shot deal which will determine whether they can reach a place of safety, where they can work, educate their children and pick up the pieces of their lives once again.

More and more attention is being placed in these interviews on the issue of military service, the length of time served, location and duties. In the military document of the above mentioned father, the word “cook” was clearly written. He explained however that when his military supervisor noted that he had a university degree in Hotel Management, he assigned him to an Air Force base to work in a cafeteria. His work was strictly clerical, doing tally sheets and paperwork. It was not uncommon, my Iraqi Muslim translator told me, for Christians to be assigned as cooks. They have a long tradition of not taking up arms.

The DHS interviewer kept putting the question to him “Did you or did you not cook?” Shrugging his shoulders in resignation, the father looked at me sadly and asked “What could I tell her?” He didn’t cook. The family was denied resettlement on the basis of “credibility.”

I cannot describe my feelings to you at hearing one such story after another. As I visit with families in their apartments, holding their rejection (form) letters in my hand, I am always served coffee or tea with a graciousness that is hard to describe. Often it is one of the older children who bring the refreshments, a young person who has now missed a couple of years of school. Too often the mothers can not hold back their tears. Their last hope to move on has been crushed. They look to me for some word of reassurance, and I long to tell them there is yet hope, that everything will be alright.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Mustafa and Josh

Jeff Leys — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:40:21 -0500

Short Information Teaser

A child from Iraq and an adult from the U.S. build a friendship.

Excerpt

Damascus, Syria
May 17, 2009

I said laughingly to Josh “You have a shadow.” When he wasn’t chasing after the frisbee, 5 year old Mustafa kept taking his hand. It was such a sweet gesture.Mustafa and Josh

I met Josh a few days ago over tea. He had contacted me by email, asking if we could get together. Not only do we know many of the same people in the peace movement, but I felt an instant kinship with this gentle yet intense young man from Oregon. Josh has spent a good deal of time in Palestine over the last years, and is currently continuing his Arabic study in Damascus. We spoke of many things, and by chance I mentioned a dear Iraqi family I had been just been with.

Body

Damascus, Syria
May 17, 2009

I said laughingly to Josh “You have a shadow.” When he wasn’t chasing after the frisbee, 5 year old Mustafa kept taking his hand. It was such a sweet gesture.Mustafa and Josh

Last October an Iraqi man took me to meet the refugee family, a mother from Baghdad with four young children. Mustafa, the second to youngest has “Failure to Thrive” syndrome. He was four years old then, but smaller than his three year old sister. His mother’s relentless efforts to find the cause for her son’s failure to grow, his hair loss and weakness paid off. Getting the necessary daily growth hormone injections for Mustafa has been a constant struggle, as each injection is costly. The change in Mustafa in the seven months since I’d seen him was astounding. He has almost caught up to his sister in height. His mother told me “I am better because my son is better.” You can imagine my surprise when Josh told me that he, like Mustafa, has the same rare condition. He has taken daily injections since he was two years old.

Yesterday Josh and I arranged to meet the family in a park. The mother and I sat on the green grass talking and watching Josh and the children romping around and tossing the frisbee to and fro. In the words of one of my own brothers who has lived with MS for years, I thought to myself “It doesn’t get much better than this.” My brother Chris has said this more than once while watching his own children playing in a beautiful natural setting.Josh & Mustafa

Mustafa’s mother has been blessed with a spirit of gratitude and a creative mind that is striking. She has recently written a little children’s book, a story inspired by her grandmother still living in Baghdad. Her eyes fill with tears as she speaks of her grandmother. The story is about a horse with hidden wings. Josh has agreed to try his hand at translating it into English. The mother wants to dedicate it to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in thanks for all they have done for so many around the world. She wants to use her gifts, to give back. “We are not just a taking people” she said to me with heartfelt conviction, “We’re also a giving people.”

The mother and children have not yet been accepted for resettlement by the UNHCR. Should they be accepted, there are 60,000 “cases” of Iraqis in line ahead of them. Although the obstacles for this family to resettle seem insurmountable, who knows where this newly formed friendship between Josh and Mustafa will lead? We must keep trying to make connections, drawing courage and inspiration from families like these.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Amman - May 10th

Dan Pearson — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:38:37 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Damascus, Syria

Excerpt

in Damascus, Syria

May 10, 2009 Mountain of the Sheik

Body

in Damascus, Syria

May 10, 2009

Dear Friends,

It has been a week since I traveled the road from Amman to Damascus. As I gazed upon mile after mile of wide open horizon, my spirit seemed to lighten. Maybe it has to do with the pent-up confined feeling that cities always give me, of leaving the city behind. I could not help but remember the drive from Baghdad to Amman six years ago. It was also in early May, after the “Shock and Awe” bombing campaign. It was 2003, and the city of Baghdad was smoldering as we drove away. Some distance outside of Baghdad, I was suddenly overcome by the stark expansiveness of the desert landscape, and a heaviness I had not even been aware of was suddenly lifted from me. It was a feeling I will never forget.

Mountain of the Sheik

My first days here in Damascus were spent in a poor crowded area of the city, a neighborhood which is home to many Iraqi refugees. In the bed so generously offered to me by a friend, my head was only inches away from the noisy street. It was as if the cars, venders, passers by and playing children were right in the room with us. Except for the night hours when the city sleeps, there was no thought of personal space. No matter, I told myself. This is exactly where I want to be. Things will work out.

I believe that God opens doors for us. When one door closes, another opens. I am trying not to force the doors, they will open by themselves when least expected. Through a string of circumstances I found myself having to move. I am now in a boarding house just a stone’s throw from the old city of Damascus. It is not what I had imagined, but I sense that for now it is right to be here. How easy it is for me to believe that doors will open. I have a passport, a community, country and family to return to.

The old city is a labyrinth. It could not be more different from the neighborhood I left. Yesterday I wandered through the endless maze of tiny streets and alleyways, only to find myself again and again at a dead end and having to retrace my steps. The old doors are particularly striking. I would wager that even someone walking down the street with an I-pod (something I’ve not yet seen here).would be drawn in by them. It is all still very new to me, but there is something almost magical about turning a corner only to be awestruck at the ancient doors, the intricate wooden overhangs and masonry. Last night I was hurrying to meet an “old” friend from pre-invasion days in Baghdad. He is a refugee in Syria. It was already dark, and the narrow lanes were dimly lit, casting shadows all around. A young mother was in a doorway with her little children playing around her. As I went by her, she indicated smiling that the street had no exit. She knew that I was lost, and we laughed together as she explained the way to me.

I had my second meeting with UNHCR the other day, this time with the Resettlement Unit. It was clarifying and depressing at the same time. Since my arrival I have been able to visit with several Iraqi families and individuals, and I went to the meeting with many questions.

I asked about families who have been rejected for U.S. resettlement despite having family there, family desperate to receive them. They’ve been advised by UNHCR-Syria not to wait around. They have been told there is next to no possibility for them to be resettled to another country. The few countries taking Iraqis are tightening their restrictions, pushing them to return to Iraq. What are they to do? I asked about a family who recently returned to Iraq after two years in Syria. Their money had run out, and they’d been told by UNHCR that they did not meet the criteria for resettlement. The family happens to be Sabean (aka Mandaean) and are at extremely high risk for assassination. Just last month three Sabean jewelers were killed in a busy market area of Baghdad in a new assault against them. Out of a community of 60,000 to 70,000 in Iraq before 2003 in Iraq only 5,000 remain. What should this family with four small children do? They have already lost many members of their family. What are the prospects for them now?

There used to be a macabre joke among Iraqis. You have to have someone killed, or be maimed yourself, before being accepted for resettlement. Sadly this is no longer true.

Now all roads lead to a dead end. All doors are closed to them. After experiencing betrayal after betrayal, how can they continue to believe that doors will open for them?

I send you warmest greetings from Damascus.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Amman - May 7th

Dan Pearson — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:52:03 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Damascus, Syria

Excerpt

in Damascus, Syria

May 7, 2009 Hussein, Um Hamzah, Noor, Hamzah, Abu Hamzah, Ayah, Zeinah, Muna

Body

in Damascus, Syria

May 7, 2009

Dear Friends, especially Canadian friends,

It was a joyful reunion, as I had not seen the family since my last trip to Syria about eight months ago. The girls had made lovely cards for me, each with their picture attached and a personal message. “I’d like to tell you I and my family miss you. I wish you to be well, and I want to say we do not forget you because we are friends.”

This family of nine was recently called by the UNHCR to come for an interview. They were informed that they were to be resettled in the United States. Like many Iraqis in Jordan and Syria they have heard disturbing stories about the situation in the states for many Iraqi refugees. “I am afraid to go to the United States” the father told us. “We don’t know anyone there.” The father, an engineer, recently discovered that he has a heart condition and needs an operation, something he could get in Damascus for about $4,000. “I have to be strong for my children,” he said to me.

I got to know this family last year when I went to see Muna, 15 years old at that time, to assess her medical condition for an NGO who hoped they might help her. She is the lovely girl to my left in the photo. Her English is quite good, so I will let her speak for herself: “Hello everybody. My name is Muna and I am an Iraqi refugee living with my family in Syria. My family consists of 9 members….My father belongs to the Sunni sect, my mother belongs to the Shiite sect. After the events that took place in Samara in 2006, they were forced to separate; otherwise they would face an inevitable death. So they left Iraq to Syria. When I was 6 years old I had severe burns to my legs that left physical and psychological damages. My health situation deteriorates day after day and my pains increase especially in the nights….Regarding my future, I have nothing to tell about. I left school three years ago and could not enroll at any school because my parents couldn’t bring any of my [school records] documents due to the dangerous security situation in Iraq at that time. I really hope to continue my study. I am very clever and I want to use this characteristic at school among my peers. ..I am serious to continue my study and ready for this step and I will do my best until my dreams become true.

Hussein, Um Hamzah, Noor, Hamzah, Abu Hamzah, Ayah, Zeinah, Muna

Our Iraqi translator has become like one of the family. He has encouraged the oldest daughter with her art, bringing her water colors and art supplies. He even managed to get a cultural center in Damascus to exhibit her art. Ayah has become involved in our translator’s Native without a Nation project, a creative initiative that allows Iraqi youth in Syria to meet and share life experiences with young people in other parts of the world.

Noor

The family would like to resettle in Canada where there are better health and social benefits than in the U.S. We are eager to contact our Canadian friends to ask if they would be able to form a support group able to extend a welcoming hand to this family. A small group of folks could make all the difference for them.

Please contact us as soon as possible as resettlement to the U.S, if they decide to do this, could go very quickly. If they refuse U.S. resettlement, they will most likely lose any chance for resettlement to another country. We have been advised that if there was a sponsor group for them in Canada, the chances are good for them to relocate.

Warmest greetings, Cathy Breen

Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Damascus, Syria

email:

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Damascus- May 6th

Dan Pearson — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:13:54 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Damascus, Syria

Excerpt

in Damascus, Syria

May 6, 2009

Taken from window in bldg in neighborhood populated by Palestinians and Iraqis

Body

in Damascus, Syria

May 6, 2009

Dear Friends,

I wish I could come up with an image—if only for myself—that would describe my first days here in Damascus. After a good night’s rest, I find my emotions have settled somewhat, but faces, names and stories are still a jumble in my head.

Yesterday morning I had a meeting with someone known to us (Voices) from UNHCR. On the spur of the moment two Iraqi friends decided to go with me by bus. One of my goals is to find my way around the city using public transportation. We arrived about ½ hour before my scheduled meeting. About two hundred people were waiting to be seen. Most were standing, but some were sitting on the curbs. Ninety-nine percent were Iraqi.

One of my Iraqi friends, who often translates for me, went to greet someone he knew and then brought the man and his little son over to meet us. He has been in Syria for 2 years with his wife and child. He has a brother who has lived in Texas for 23 years. Two months ago he was told to return to the UNHCR after a year’s time. But he was back again yesterday. An elderly man from Somalia approached us and introduced himself, showing us his UNHCR document. He and his family have been in Syria since 1996. As we spoke with him another man approached us. He took a photo showing him in front of the rubble of what was his home in Baghdad, explaining that it was destroyed by a US bomb in 2003. A crowd began to gather around us, people reaching over people to put their “rejection” letter into our hands or to show us their UNHCR ID document. Everyone wanted to speak with us. The numbers surrounding us grew with people speaking all at the same time. The expressions on their faces turned from hopeful to desperate. A guard approached us and I left to enter the building, abandoning my translator friend to the throng of people.

Later in the afternoon we met with one of those who had approached us in the morning. Word had spread of our presence in the neighborhood, an area crowded with Iraqis. As we spoke with this mother and her two daughters (5 and 10 yrs) in her apartment, we were joined by one Iraqi after another, until every chair was filled.

The woman’s husband wasn’t present as he had found a day job, although illegal for him to work. The family fled to Syria in June of 2004 when they received death threats. The father had worked as a security guard for the Sandi Co. in a Baghdad hotel. They stayed in Syria for just over a year, but had to return to Baghdad as their money ran out. They were only in Baghdad for a month and a half as their (now 10 year old daughter) was kidnapped. Upon her release they once again sought safety in Syria. It was August of 2005. The woman’s mother lives in the states as well as her step-brothers. Her husband’s brother is also there. They all live in Detroit.

As is often the case, the family received encouragement from UNHCR and IOM representatives as they worked their way up the resettlement ladder through the interview process until they reached the final deciding rung–the interview with the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS). The family sensed that the DOH meeting also went well as the interviewing “officer” indicated repeatedly “very good…very good…very good.” In March of this year however they received the form letter from DOH with the box “credibility” checked. When the news was broken to the family, the mother now sitting before us trying to hold back her tears, had to be taken to the hospital. Three days later they sought someone out to help them write an appeal. They submitted the letter on April 14th, but have received no answer to date.

As we sat together in the filled-to-capacity apartment yesterday, three of those present had been at UNHCR that morning. They related that about 20 of them, all with rejection letters for resettlement to the US, had been rounded up and told collectively “You will never be resettled to the US…There is no use waiting And, it is almost impossible to be resettled to any other country.” One of the women in the room has, not only her mother and father in the US, but six brothers and three sisters as well. They live in Detroit, which I have heard has been closed to Iraqis seeking resettlement to the US. No matter if you have family there or not. I assume that it is due to high rate of unemployment and loss of jobs there? But you tell that to these families.

Their rejections came in the form of a “form” letter, most often with the box entitled “credibility” checked. This equals “We do not believe you.”

Taken from window in bldg in neighborhood populated by Palestinians and Iraqis

Sadly we had to rush to another appointment. Time had permitted us to hear just one woman’s story, and even that was only partial. We promised that we would come again soon, that there would be time to hear their individual accounts. As my friend and I hurried through the dusty streets, I tried to calm myself with the thought that perhaps some of their righteous anger had calmed or been dissipated. My trusted translator and I agreed that “They need to be heard; their voices must be heard.” And…I said, it has to be someone from the United States who listens to them. We were off to our next meeting, one which would be equally disturbing.

I greet you with every assurance that you are with me on this trip. At every opportunity, those we meet learn of your concern and support.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Amman - April 22nd

Dan Pearson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:21:02 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

in Amman, Jordan

April 22, 2009

cartoon

Dear Friends,

Although it was no easy task, he managed to stay out of the Baath party throughout college, and afterward he did his military service as a low-rank soldier. I will call him Ali. His father built a house and the family grew. Seven children. Upon discharge from the army, the Baath party pursued him in earnest. They sought him out repeatedly in the neighborhood where he lived. One day it came to a showdown, and Ali was cornered in a market area and told that if he didn’t come willingly, he would be taken by force. Don’t you know, the Baath party officer asked, that you are nothing! We have the power to arrest you, to kill you? Ali shoved the officer and fled, hiding first with an uncle and then later in an abandoned warehouse. He saw only his brother who brought him food. His father and other family members sought in vain to negotiate, to even pay money, but the Baath party officials refused. And so it was that he fled to Jordan in 2002. He had 35JD (about $50.) in his pocket. He knew no one.

Body

in Amman, Jordan

April 22, 2009

Dear Friends,

So often in these last weeks I am transported back to Iraq as I listen to the accounts of Iraqis, the stories of how and why it is they came to Jordan. Family relationships, and often tribal affiliations, are everything to Iraqis. Contrary to our “mobile” society in the U.S., it is not their custom to separate from family seeking livelihood and independence outside of the extended family. Their roots are deep. After Ali fled the country, at least half of his family had to move to another area inside of Iraq for safety. They have been unable to return. Here in Jordan, Ali continues to be pursued. He keeps having to move.

It was only after Saddam Hussein was captured in 2004, that he dared to approach the UNHCR. The UNHCR staff, like each of us, are not exempt from human biases and discrimination. To this day pro-Saddam sentiments run deep in Jordan. “They don’t understand,” Ali said, “how hard the situation in Iraq was under Saddam. No money to buy bread or medicines for our parents.” He continued, “Until now nothing is good in Iraq. Just killing and explosions. No companies come to Iraq. All the wars….no childhood,….poor schools…. and hunger. So many left Iraq and came to Jordan thinking they could build a new future. We will take any country where we can study, get a job, have hope.”

On three different occasions, in three different locations, break-in attempts have been made where Ali has lived. The first time, the door to his apartment was kicked in and his passport and UNHCR ID were taken. He wasn’t at home. No money, nothing else was taken, only his identifying documents. Repeatedly he was told by the UNHCR that they couldn’t help him. The UNHCR told him that he should keep moving or return to Iraq. No, it wasn’t possible, they said, for one of their lawyers to intercede for him with the Jordanian police so that he could get a new passport. They couldn’t leave the premises. After countless entreaties over months, Ali asked for his UNHCR file to be returned to him. His desperate request seems to have sparked a positive response to his situation. We will see. Two months ago, a third break-in attempt was made into Ali’s current room.

Yesterday I attended a meeting with a recently formed Non-governmental organization, Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), here in Amman. I had gone with two colleagues in the hope of raising the issue of psychological help for young Iraqi men like Ali. Around the table were about 8 or 10 Psycho-social counselors, Palestinian, Jordanian and Iraqi. Their “clients” have suffered kidnappings, rape, torture and loss of family members to violence.

The staff was familiar with Baath party discrimination for resettlement, that is Iraqis rejected because of their membership or position in the Baath party. Ali however falls into a separate category. Together with many others we have met, he fled because he resisted Baath party pressure. We have visited many vulnerable young Iraqi men who are living in households of five, even eight people. More than a few Iraqi young men shared privately with us how they had been “sacrificed” in primary school to join Saddam’s Special Guard so that the rest of their family could live a more “normal” life. At the collapse of Saddam’s regime, they became targeted. How I wish I could send you a photo of their surroundings, of their faces. Like Ali, however, their precarious situations do not permit us this liberty.

The atmosphere at CVT was one of good-will and concern, and many ideas surfaced. Could CVT’s counselors visit the men in the outlying areas where they live? They are fearful and have little energy, not to mention money, to come into the city to attend courses and training. Would there be a way for the young men to work with children, to provide enjoyable activities like soccer? Activities to combat the boredom and fear. Activities to lift them out of depression and hopelessness.

Tomorrow I will meet with someone from the Overseas Processing Entity of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM is the organization contracted by the U.S. to oversee the coordination of the resettlement program. I will close with a cartoon which seems appropriate to the event. It is Iraqi in line waiting for their “Secret” Homeland Security Check.

cartoon

For now I will close sending you greetings and love,

Cathy

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Amman - April 21st

Dan Pearson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:26:24 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

in Amman, Jordan

April 21, 2009

Dear Friends,

In a recent article in The Mercury News (4.18.09), Ken McLaughlin writes about Iraqi refugees struggling to make it in the U.S., specifically in the Silicon Valley. “They had hoped to quickly become self-sufficient, but they’re now looking for jobs in one of the worst economies in our lifetime. It is not what they expected.” The Mercury News has followed two Iraqi families since last summer, and their stories graphically illustrate the human cost of the ongoing suffering, trauma and consequences of the war. The article describes how ill equipped the US’s outdated and overtaxed refugee system is to restore a sense of dignity to Iraqis who have been out of work for years in Iraq’s neighboring countries.

Body

in Amman, Jordan

April 21, 2009

Dear Friends,

Friends of ours living and working in Damascus with Iraqi refugees substantiate this reality in a recent rueful communication: “What the US is offering to the miniscule numbers who are allowed to resettle isn’t any kind of restitution for what was taken from them. It’s more like one more humiliation, one more kick while they’re down. We Americans will pat ourselves on the back (once more we’ve come through for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses) and expect to see these folks serving us at the supermarket check-out counter and we’ll all feel good about ourselves.”

Despite the impression that Iraqis are being resettled in large numbers, the Mercury News article helps put things in perspective by giving us concrete figures. (Sources: Catholic Charities, International Rescue Committee, U.S. State Dept.)

In 2007 - 1,608 Iraqi refugees were resettled to the U.S
In 2008 - 13,823
In 2009 - 17,000 is the projected figure

If my calculations are correct, the total projected number of Iraqis resettled to the U.S. by the end of FY09 could be 32, 431. It is estimated that 2,580,000 Iraqis are presently living in neighboring countries. Our friends in Damascus are correct in saying “miniscule numbers.”

Resettlement is foremost in the minds of Iraqis here in Jordan, and I have no doubt that it will be otherwise in Syria where I hope to be in May and June. There is not an Iraqi here who doesn’t know someone who has been resettled to the states or to another country. They keep in touch. They have reason to, as they hope that they might soon follow. But as telephone calls come back to us here of the conditions and treatment Iraqis are finding in the states, the desperation seems to grow—if this is possible.

I have begun a list of Iraqis who have been resettled to the U.S. At first it was Iraqis known to us, but the list has grown substantially as Iraqis here add their contacts. Erie, Pa., Albany, N.Y.; Nashville, Tenn., Fort Worth, Tex., Greensboro, N.Car., Salt Lake City, Utah, Maryland, Chicago,, Boston, Conn., Detroit…“Don’t even think of coming,” one reports. “It is bad, no jobs” says another. As we hear of desperate situations, we scramble to contact folks back home to locate friends who can extend a hand.

For now I will close sending you greetings and love,

Cathy

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen Writes From Amman - April 14th

Gerald — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:17:45 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Update on the Iraqi Refugee Crisis from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

in Amman, Jordan

April 14, 2009

Dear Friends,

The question of resettlement is such a troubling one. In reply to my question of whether or not the UNHCR is following the situation of Iraqis who are being resettled, their response was understandable. The UNHCR is able to facilitate resettlement but, regretfully, their responsibility has to end there. It is up to the resettlement countries to receive and care for the refugees in a humane and dignified manner. While they are not encouraging return to Iraq on a large scale, that is until the situation has improved, neither are they discouraging it. To date they have assisted 350 Iraqis to return to Iraq, with transportation and a bit of cash.

Body

in Amman, Jordan

April 14, 2009

Dear Friends,

It is hard not to be discouraged. Yesterday I met with staff from the UNHCR-Jordan to get an update on their work with Iraqi refugees. They currently have 17 “Implementing Partner Organizations” in place to try and meet the needs of refugees in Jordan. The range of “services” for Iraqis has undeniably increased over the last year. They see cash assistance, for example, as vitally important in addressing the basic needs of refugees who cannot work but must pay rent, electricity, water, etc. Though monthly cash payments have increased somewhat, the stipends fall far short of what Iraqis need to sustain themselves. This afternoon I will go to an area outside of Amman to meet over a dozen single Iraqi men, many of them afraid to approach the UNHCR, for reasons I have heard only second-hand thus far. Like other single Iraqi men I met last fall here in Amman, they live in groups of five and six in deplorable conditions, separated from family and seeking work illegally, fearful of deportation. I will be able to tell you more after the visit.

Resettlement is one of the main challenges that UNHCR currently faces. They have already submitted 8,000 files, or cases, of Iraqis to be resettled to the U.S. for this fiscal year. They have met their quota, and now it is up to the U.S. resettlement program and Homeland Security to decide who will be accepted and when and where they will placed.

Distressing stories are reaching us, both here and at home, of Iraqis who have been resettled in the U.S. under conditions of great suffering. Since I arrived in Jordan over a week ago, I have heard on more than one occasion of Iraqis returning from the U.S. because the conditions there have been intolerable. Just the other day an Iraqi friend here asked me if I knew someone in the Chicago area who could help an Iraqi widow with six children who was recently resettled there. Her husband was killed in Baghdad. She telephoned him saying that there is so much violence in the area where she has been placed that she is afraid to leave the children to go out to buy food for them.

Last night I was with three Iraqi neighbors, all awaiting resettlement to the U.S. They, and others, look to me for answers. Will they find work in the U.S.? They so desperately want to work, to support their families and live with some dignity and safety. Their agitation was palpable; one of them couldn’t stop pacing. They asked me if it were true that they had to wait 8 months for a green card upon arrival to the U.S. And will they be able to find work? They have heard from Iraqi friends who have been resettled, that benefits vary from state to state. In some states benefits are extended for only three months, in others for eight months. What should they do? I have no answer for them.

One of the men told me of a suicide bomb in his neighborhood just a few days ago in Baghdad. He said that one woman had her baby in her arms, giving it milk from a bottle at the time of the explosion. After the explosion the baby was found alive with only the mother’s hand remaining still holding the baby bottle. I share this gruesome account not to elicit shock or sympathy so much as to illustrate the ongoing struggle of Iraqi’s contemplating resettlement or return to Iraq. There are no other options open to them. The friend relating the incident has a wife and four little children, one only two months old. His three year old child needs medical attention for a congenital problem. It is the reason the family is in Amman. Will he be able to get on-going help for his little boy in the states?

I must go now, but I will try and send this later by email. Please receive my greetings and gratitude. You make this trip possible and are very present with me.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen