Provide at least $2 billion for services to Iraqi refugees

Aid for Iraqi refugees is slow in coming

Updated: Thursday, January 14th, 2010 | By Kevin Robillard

During his campaign for the presidency, as violence displaced more and more Iraqis from their homes, Barack Obama promised to "provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries."

The outbreak of violence between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq after the U.S. invasion forced many out of their homes, and formerly mixed neighborhoods became sectarian enclaves. Many displaced Iraqis crossed the border into Syria, Jordan and other neighboring states. Estimates of the number of refugees are in the millions.

So what has Obama done to help the Iraqis so far? It's hard to say. There's no specified amount for Iraqi refugees in the 2010 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, but Vanessa Parra, a spokeswoman for Refugees International, isn't hopeful. The total amount allocated for Migration and Refugee Assistance in 2010 is $1.6 billion.

If Obama is going to provide $2 billion over the course of four years, he would need to spend $500 million a year. That would be more than a third of the total amount the United States spends on refugees in 2010, which would seem unlikely. We asked the State Department to verify how much U.S. aid has gone to Iraqi refugees but have not received a response.

There are other ways to fund refugee assistance, but Parra wrote in a e-mail that "it is highly unlikely [money] will come from humanitarian funding" and the United States can't give direct aid to Syria, where many of the refugees are located, because it is considered a state sponsor of terrorism.

"We can conclude that it is unlikely that he will meet his target," Parra wrote.

That said, funding could increase as the economy turns, or if the Obama administration decides to make it a priority. For now, we rate this promise Stalled.

Sources:

 E-mail interview with Vanessa Parra, spokeswoman for Refugees International

Fiscal Year 2010 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act

Refugees International, Iraq