According to reports issued by the US State Department, Washington – which is conducting a comprehensive investigation into a fraud case – suspects that about 4,000 Iraqis are submitting false applications for resettlement in the United States as refugees.
More than 500 Iraqis, who have already entered the country as refugees, are implicated in the alleged fraud case, and may be deported or revoked their US citizenship, according to a document sent to members of Congress. Read also Their country is one of the richest countries in the region.. Why do young Iraqis think about emigrating abroad? 18 years ago.. the day America appointed Paul Bremer as governor of Iraq Despite the hardship of life, an Iraqi woman succeeded in convincing thousands of young people not to emigrate abroad إلى The Iraqi Hassanein Mohsen receives threatening calls and dreams of emigrating under the weight of corruption.. and this is his story
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Officials told Reuters that the investigation, one of the largest in refugee program fraud in recent history, has raised reservations among some in President Joe Biden’s administration as they consider a similar program to help Afghan refugees as US forces withdraw from their country after a 20-year war.
Reports show that the investigation is more comprehensive and more dangerous than what officials have revealed since the announcement in January that the “Direct Access” program for Iraqi refugees was suspended for 90 days.
The suspension, which the Foreign Ministry extended indefinitely last April, came after the disclosure of a list accusing 3 foreigners of fraud, stealing records and money laundering.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the scope of the investigation and deliberations within the government, but said the fraud scheme did not affect the refugee security verification process.
“The discovery, investigation, and prosecution of those involved in the scheme demonstrated the government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the program while upholding our humanitarian traditions. Those who seek to profit from America’s generosity in welcoming the vulnerable will be held accountable,” he said.
The spokesman did not specify a timetable for the investigation, but said the agency would work “as quickly and adequately as possible” to complete the review and make any necessary security changes.
direct access
Under the patronage of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Congress authorized the “Direct Access” program four years after the end of the United States’ occupation of Iraq between 2003 and 2011.
The program aims to accelerate the resettlement of Iraqis who are at risk because of their work with the US government.
A State Department source working as a congressional aide says the Biden administration, under pressure from bipartisan lawmakers and rights groups, is studying a similar program for Afghans who fear retribution from the Taliban.
But he said there were “many reservations” about expediting the resettlement of Afghans as refugees in the country, citing the problems of the Iraqi programme.
The official, who asked not to be identified, cited challenges in verifying employment history and other basic information “in unstable environments”.
List of suspects
A report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the suspension of the Iraqi program led to the freezing of processing more than 40,000 applications, 95% of them in Iraq, and all of them are being re-evaluated.
He added that officials had drawn up a “master list” of “companies and suspected cases of fraud as identified by the investigation,” noting that it included more than 4,000 individuals, none of whom were allowed to travel to the United States.
State Department reports, the indictment and court documents do not definitively state the purpose of the alleged plot.
However, a State Department investigator’s statement to a federal court indicated that applicants were paying for fabricating case files, which helped them pass the screening process and consular interviews, and “perhaps secure entry to the United States … which would not have happened without this (fabrication).”
The indictment unveiled in January included suspects suspected of stealing digital case files of more than 1,900 Iraqis, including classified information such as work and military history, accounts of persecution, security screening results, and expected US consular interview questions.
rare commodity
“Resettlement is an extremely rare and valuable commodity that saves lives,” says Mark Hetfield, director of a refugee resettlement agency. “People will do anything they can to get there.”
The program had reduced the duration of the operation for Iraqi groups of “special humanitarian interest” so that they could resettle in the United States, after removing the obligation to obtain referral documents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to a State Department document, more than 47,570 Iraqis have been resettled in the United States through the program. Admissions have slowed considerably under former President Donald Trump, who imposed restrictions on refugee admissions.
According to the indictment, the fraud scheme ran from February 2016 until at least April 2019. The foreign ministry document said the investigation began in February 2019.