5.                  News Bytes

State Department officials announced this week that during the past four months, only about 1,400 Iraqis have been given visas to enter the United States .  This figure falls far short of the 7,000 estimated visas that Bush administration officials promised last year would be granted, The New York Times reports.  The State Department cites a complicated and cumbersome “refugee resettlement” system, which some critics say has worked more to keep people out than to let them in.

“Resources are finite and at this point, we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said James Foley, senior coordinator for the department’s Iraqi Refugee Issues office.  He said that the department wanted to admit 12,000 refugees this fiscal year, but acknowledged that it was already four months into that term with only 1,400 refugees approved.  Only a small number had been approved in 2007 before accelerated efforts began. 

In a statement, Refugees International, an advocacy group representing potential Iraqi visa recipients, expressed disappointment at what it called “the U.S. administration’s continual failure to meet its resettlement targets.”  “It’s hard to imagine a stable Iraq when millions of Iraqis are languishing in neighboring countries,” said Kristele Younes, an official of the group.  “A year ago, the United States made a pledge to address the Iraqi refugee crisis and we have failed to keep that promise.”

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The Bush administration plans on spending 19% more on border security and immigration enforcement in the next federal budget year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said last week.  In his annual budget request, Bush asked Congress to allocate $12.1 billion to construct more border fencing, hire more Border Patrol agents and expand the teams that conduct raids on businesses using undocumented immigrants.  Chertoff pointed out that the request for the 2009 fiscal year marks an increase of more than 150% on immigration enforcement since Bush took office.  “We will be continuing to build on the progress that we have made with respect to securing the border and enforcing the interior,” Chertoff said.  According to The Los Angeles Times, Chertoff declined to discuss the full budget request for the Department of Homeland Security for the next fiscal year.

Shortly after Chertoff’s press conference, a group of senators sent the DHS chief a letter expressing concern that the various border projects are not being managed properly and is overly reliant on independent contractors.  The comprehensive border fence project, known as SBInet, and of which $2 billion of the 2009 fiscal budget has been allocated towards, has long faced criticism.  “Securing our borders is an important Homeland Security priority; however, wise use of taxpayer dollars requires that the SBInet project have clearly defined goals,” said the letter signed by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

The proposed budget also includes requests for $442 million to hire additional border against, with the aim of having 20,000 agents by September 2009; $3 billion for internal enforcement by ICE; $100 million for the expansion of the Basic Pilot and E-Verify programs; and $100 million to hire about 50 federal prosecutors and strengthen operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration and immigration courts.