Since the beginning of the war, Iraqis have been fleeing their homeland. Their plight has been one of survival, of life and death. They have crossed borders, only to find unwelcoming arms. To date, there are over 2 million Iraqi refugees seeking shelter and asylum in other countries. Many of the hardships that the refugees are facing is heartbreaking. In a time when we expected to see an end to the war, civil unrest has made life difficult for all who seek peace, especially the Iraqi refugees.

Some of them want to come to America. In fact, our government has made provisions for 2,000 Iraqis to be admitted into the United States by September 30, 2007. What is amazing is that there have been many hindrances and a large number of the Iraqi refugees who seek asylum in America have yet to reach the border. So far, there have been roughly 200 refugees that have made it to America. With the goal being 2,000 by the end of September, it doesn’t take much calculation to figure that there should be quite a large number of Iraqi refugees coming to America over the next month.

Life for Iraqi refugees has been hard, if not brutal. Many children have stopped receiving education, as there has been no room to accommodate them in foreign schools. The majority of the refugees have moved to Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. Part of the delay of the Iraqis coming to America is due to strict Homeland Security Laws. U.S. officials are working on allowing more Iraqis access to America at a quicker speed. Yet, many wonder if it will be quick enough. During the months of April and May, reports show that there was only one Iraqi refugee per month who gained entrance in the United States. Compare that to 63 Iraqis in June. However, the number was down to 57 for the month of July. It is important that the Iraqi refugees, who seek life in America, can gain the security clearance needed to reach our shores. The problem lies with other countries that restrict our nation’s access to government clearance.

Currently, there are 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria alone. That number is followed by a whopping 750,000 in Jordan. Egypt has housed 150, 000 and Iran 50, 000. Turkey currently has 20,000 refugees. We should expect to see a large number of refugees coming to America in the next month.

Additionally, what has taken a surprising turn is the fact that some Iraqi refugees are moving to Sweden. Some experts believe that Europe will see a total of 40,000 refugees by the close of 2007. The European Union is currently taking a closer look at their asylum laws, as they expect the amount of Iraqis seeking asylum to nearly triple. However, this isn’t the first time that Iraqis have sought asylum in Sweden. The first group was during Saddam’s years, between 1997-2003. In fact, there are many Iraqis currently living in Sweden, enough that they have their own communities such as Sodertalje and Malmö.