Week of June 6

Here’s another round-up of what we’ve been reading and watching this week, from in the news and around the web:

The White House announced that President Obama will hold an international summit on refugees on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September. In addition to goal of at least a 30 percent increase in humanitarian aid funding from the international community, the President is expected to pledge an increase in the number of refugees settled in the United States. The summit marks one year since the United States pledged to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016. To date, the United States has met only 13 percent of its goal. Read Human Rights First’s progress report here.

For the 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, conditions are bleak. The New York Times reports that, for thousands of Syrian children living there, life is spent working in factories and fields rather than going to school. “I’ve got to take care of my family,” says 13 year old Ahmad Suleiman, who works in a textile factory in Istanbul, “and this is the only way to do that.” The Turkish government has vowed to crack down on child labor by increasing workplace inspections and issuing work permits to Syrian parents, who might then afford to send their children to school. However, only a fraction of the country’s refugee population has obtained a work permit, as Turkish employers are reluctant to pay refugees the minimum wage.

While the Syrian refugee crisis looms, the United States is still slow in working through the backlog of Afghans attempting to enter the country through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. The program, which grants visas to Afghans who provided crucial support to the U.S. military in Afghanistan, is currently processing 10,000 applications, with only 4,000 visas available. Last month, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D.- New Hampshire) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would extend the SIV program through 2017 and authorize the State Department to issue an additional 4,000 visas.

Shaheen’s amendment had bipartisan support, including the backing of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain. However, the extension of the SIV program was defeated on the house floor Friday morning. Senator Mike Lee (R.-Utah) refused to allow the Senate to vote on the extension, drawing the ire of fellow Republican McCain. “They’re going to die. They’re going to be killed. Doesn’t that somehow appeal to your sense of compassion for these people?”, Senator McCain remarked.

The Chairman is not alone in this opinion. Marine veteran and VFAI member Dustin Damon writes: “If the Senate fails to authorize any new visas for Afghan interpreters, then many of those who served alongside Marines like me will be left behind, in a life-or-death situation. We owe them, and my fellow Marines currently serving in Afghanistan need their continued assistance. If we do not keep faith with them, why would we expect them to risk their lives alongside us in future missions in Afghanistan?”. The future of the Special Immigrant Visa program, for now, remains uncertain.

In Iraq, the situation remains tense as aid workers scramble to provide support to the people of Fallujah. CNN reports that 50,000 people have been driven from the city due to heavy fighting between ISIS fighters and Iraqi security forces. UNICEF, the WHO, and other international aid organizations have stated that, for the tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens living in makeshift camps outside of the city, clean water, food rations, and sanitation assistance is urgently needed. Statements from NGOs on the ground report that ISIS is targeting civilians attempting to flee the city. Last month, the Iraqi government launched the operation to retake Fallujah from ISIS, who has held the city since 2014.

For many refugees, hope is everything. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, that hope will be on display to the entire world. The International Olympic Committee has announced the names of the athletes that will compete as the first-ever Olympic Refugee Team. The Washington Post reports that the athletes hail from Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and will compete in swimming, judo, and track and field events. IOC President Thomas Bach said, “This will be a symbol of hope for all the refugees in our world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis. It is also a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.”

Finally, we continue to follow the  #5YearsWeFled series, a collection of interviews that reveal the trials and tribulations of Syrian refugees as they make their journey across the Mediterranean in search of safety.

Have reactions to share, or want to learn how you can be involved in our efforts to raise veteran voices in support of refugees? Find us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us at [email protected].