Grover Norquist’s Wednesday Group, Congressmen Blumenauer and Shays, and Senators Kennedy and Smith are trying to destroy the laws that protect us from terrorists entering the U.S., in the guise of rewriting refugee policy for friendly Iraqi translators. Their efforts are a significant and potentially deadly effort to undercut homeland security efforts.
Refugee Resettlement Watch reports they received a forwarded email allegedly sent from the office of Grover Norquist:

Refugee Resettlement Watch (Refugee Drumbeat: signaling our defeat in Iraq) received a forwarded email, with an attached draft letter (below in entirety) that may reveal who is behind the drumbeat to open the floodgates to Iraqi refugees. We can’t disclose the source of the email forwarded to us. However our source alleged it had received the email from someone in Grover Norquist’s office. Norquist is the once-respectable conservative (Americans for Tax Reform) who has since become a major apologist for the Islamist Lobby according to Paul Sperry in his book Infiltration, and founder of the anti-surge, pro-defeat lobbying group American “Conservative” Defense Alliance.

The source also alleged that the email included this line: “If you are interested in signing on to this letter, please contact David Keene at keened@carmengroup.com with your signature and logo.” That would be David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union and also a lobbyist with the Carmen Group in Washington, D.C. Keene spoke recently at a rally sponsored by ACLU and the extreme leftwing “United for Peace and Justice,” opposing Bush administration policies for homeland defense. For more on Keene’s retreat for conservatism into Islamism, see here and here.

The file attachment was named “wedletterdraft.com”. Norquist is known for holding a Wednesday weekly meeting that includes lobbyists such as Keene.

So what was in this attached letter? It was a call to admit Iraqi refugees in the name of loyalty to our friends, but with a real message of calling for surrender to Al Qaeda. The argument in the letter is that anyone who has worked for the U.S. government is marked for death (without any mention of the surge working). If that were true, we would have to accept as refugees entire provinces, since our coalition forces are receiving help and cooperation from entire villages now that the surge strategy is working. The author of the letter (possibly the Carmen Group, given the keened@carmengroup.com email address) states that thousands of Iraqi refugees are in danger, and then contradicts himself saying that “This would not open the gates to a flood of Iraqis fleeing the uncertainty and general danger within which they live today…”

Here’s the bottom line - a demand for advocacy for two bills:

Legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate to address this issue. HR 2265, introduced by Congressmen Blumenauer and Shays in the House, and S. 1651 introduced by Senators Kennedy and Smith in the Senate that would provide emergency resettlement options for these Iraqi friends of the United States.

Those bills are some of the most shocking anti-homeland security legislation yet suggested by the Islamist Lobby and their friends in Congress. The House and Senate versions are fairly similar - we’ll walk you through the House version. We welcome any corrections and comments on our analysis - this is our best effort in less than 24 hours.
The following is an analysis of House Bill 2265 the “Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act of 2007″. First, who is considered a “Special Immigrant”?

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF SPECIAL IMMIGRANT STATUS FOR CERTAIN IRAQIS.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), subject to subsection (c)(1), the Secretary of Homeland Security may provide an alien described in subsection (b) with the status of a special immigrant under section 101(a)(27) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)), if–

(1) the alien, or an agent acting on behalf of the alien, files with the Secretary of Homeland Security a petition under section 204 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1154) for classification under section 203(b)(4) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(4)); and(2) the alien is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa and is otherwise admissible to the United States for permanent residence, except in determining such admissibility, the grounds for inadmissibility specified in section 212(a)(4) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)) shall not apply.

(b) Aliens Described-(1) PRINCIPAL ALIENS- An alien is described in this subsection if the alien–(A) is a national of Iraq; (B) worked directly with the United States Government, the United Nations, certified government or United Nations contractor or subcontractor, or United States-based nongovernmental organization for a period of at least one year; and(C) has a not manifestly unfounded fear of persecution, violence, or harm to the alien or the alien’s family on account of the work of the alien under subparagraph (B).(2) SPOUSES AND CHILDREN- An alien is described in this subsection if the alien is the spouse or child of a principal alien described in paragraph (1), and is following or accompanying to join the principal alien. (3) PRESUMPTION- An alien who is described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) shall be presumed to satisfy the requirement described in subparagraph (C) of such paragraph.

This provides the Secretary of Homeland Security the ability to designate any alien and their families with special immigrants status provided they are an Iraqi who has worked alongside the US government or contractors for at least a year. It also gives immigrant status to those serving either the United Nations or Non-governmental organizations in Iraq. Presumably this would include most members of the Iraqi military and police in units who have fought alongside American troops, Mayors and town councilmen for every single hamlet and village, many a tribal sheikh or construction business owner, their family and employees.

That “Presumption” clause also “presumes” that no military or police presence - Iraqi or American - will protect any Iraqi who has worked with any westerner, including the U.N. and NGO’s. It also implies that all such violence will occur because of an association with the U.S., contractors, U.N., or NGOs - those Iranian infiltrators, Al Qaeda terrorists, even sectarian opponents will only enact this violence against these Iraqis because they cooperated with westerners. The logic underlying this bill accepts as inevitable the descent of Iraq into genocidal anarchy.

So much for the various Democratic statements about our keeping a few forces there to maintain order etc. etc. Or that the U.N. should somehow be substituted as a peace-keeping force, or that NGO’s should stay there. The presumption in HR2265 is that any Western institutional presence - not just the U.S. - will cause unlimited and unstoppable violence against any Iraqi who cooperates with them.

So its assumed that those who worked with us are in danger, and they will be granted immigration status accordingly, regardless of their actual level of risk. But how many refugees are we actually talking about admitting, in this primary category:

(c) Numerical Limitations and Benefits-

(1) IN GENERAL- The total number of principal aliens who may be provided special immigrant status under this section shall not exceed 15,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011.

(2) EXCLUSION FROM NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS- Aliens provided special immigrant status under this section shall not be counted against any numerical limitation under sections 201(d), 202(a), or 203(b)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(d), 1152(a), and 1153(b)(4)).(3) BENEFITS- Aliens provided special immigrant status under this section shall be eligible for the same resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits as refugees admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1157).

A maximum of 45,000 “special immigrants” in this category within 3 years? Not exactly, since refugees can also be accepted under other statutes as well (more on this later). They are all eligible for the resettlement assistance and other handouts which have proven to be so poorly managed in the past (as Refugee Re-settlement Watch documents comprehensively). Continuing on:

(d) Protection of Aliens-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall provide an alien described in this section who is applying for a special immigrant visa with protection if such Secretaries determine that such alien is in imminent danger.

(2) FORMS OF PROTECTION- Protection required under paragraph (1) may include temporary housing on United States military bases or at provincial reconstruction team offices or the immediate removal from Iraq of such alien.

If the United States’ does withdraw from Iraq as defeatists in Congress plan, there will be no US military bases or provincial reconstruction teams to house aliens in danger, a danger which many have indicated will be very imminent indeed. This would make all refugees eligible for “immediate” removal. If they must be immediately removed, where do they go while they wait to find out if they are one of the 15,000+ refugees being accepted in a fiscal year?

(e) Processing Facilities-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish not fewer than five processing facilities where aliens described in subsection (b) may apply and interview for admission to the United States as special immigrants and where aliens described in section 6(b) may apply and interview for admission to the United States as refugees.

(2) LOCATIONS- The processing facilities required under paragraph (1) shall be established in at least–

(A) two locations in Baghdad;

(B) one location in southern Iraq; and

(C) two locations in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(3) MINIMIZATION OF SECURITY RISKS- The processing facilities shall be established so as to minimize to the greatest extent practicable security risks for aliens described in subsection (b) who are applying and interviewing for admission to the United States as special immigrants.

And exactly who will be providing security for these refugee locations? The Iraqi army and military will be in line to leave as refugees, and congressional defeatists can bearly stand to wait the month and a half until General Petraeus reports on the surge. How will they keep forces in to protect refugee centers (who will all be under imminent threat and require immediate removal, as mentioned above)? And if the country is safe enough that we can establish these refugee processing centers without significant military security, than doesn’t that mean security has improved and perhaps the surge is working?

(f) Cooperation With Iraqi Government Officials-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall seek to cooperate with appropriate officials from the Government of Iraq to–

(A) increase the capacity of the Government of Iraq to issue passports to aliens described in subsection (b); and

(B) ensure that aliens described in this section who are issued special immigrant visas are provided with the appropriate series Iraqi passport necessary to enter the United States.

(2) PAYMENT OF PASSPORT FEES- The Secretaries shall pay the costs associated with the issuance of such Iraqi passports.

(g) Waiver of Visa Fees- Neither the Secretary of State nor the Secretary of Homeland may charge an alien described in this section any fee in connection with an application for or issuance of a special immigrant visa.

While the Iraqi government struggles for survival against Al Qaeda and Iranian backed militias after we’ve swept the rug out from under them, I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to detail the appropriate number of ministry officials to issue visas to the folks fleeing the sinking ship. And maybe put themselves at the front of the line… In fact, if the Democratic defeatists succeed in creating the kind of genocidal anarchy this bill assumes, the VISA and documentation process will either be a huge bottleneck or simply be ignored, removing another method to filter out potential terrorists entering the U.S.

(h) Report-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report on aliens described in this section who worked directly with the United States Government, the United Nations or other international organizations, certified government or international organization contractors or subcontractors, or international nongovernmental organization as a translator for a period of at least one year.

(2) CLASSIFIED ANNEX- The report required under paragraph (1) may include a classified annex, containing information relating to personally identifiable information, as necessary, to be used by appropriate United States Government officials for the purpose of processing applications for special immigrant visas under this section.(i) Application of Immigration and Nationality Act Provisions- The definitions in subsections (a) and (b) of section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101) shall apply in the administration of this section. (j) Regulations- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall promulgate regulations to carry out the provisions of this section, including regulations relating to requirements for background checks.(k) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

This bill was submitted by Rep. Blumenauer on May 10th. Yet this bill, if it passes, will give the President 90 days to report on the numbers and details of Iraqi potential refugees. And when Congress asks for a report in 90 days, it means the President may have maybe two weeks before the effort is decried a failure. And again, how will the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, ICE and State - whose track records for checking the bona fides of aliens have already caused thousands of U.S. deaths - handle background checks against tens of thousands of Iraqis entering the U.S.?

SEC. 3. SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR IRAQI REFUGEES.

(a) In General- There is established in the Department of State a Special Coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.

(b) Location- The Special Coordinator shall be based at the embassy of the United States in Baghdad, Iraq.

(c) Duties- The Special Coordinator shall be responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate policies and programs concerning Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons, and shall establish an inter-agency task force to coordinate such policies and programs.

Hopefully that Special Coordinator position comes with a guaranteed seat on the last helicopter out of Baghdad. Do the bill’s authors honestly believe that the United States Embassy in Baghdad will be a functioning entity if we pull the troops out before Al Qaeda is defeated? Either Iraq is stabilizing and the surge is working, or the country is descending into anarchy and our many Iraqi friends are likely to be butchered. I fail to see how we can expect a level of butchery which requires this bill to save our deserving Iraqi allies, and still expect that the personnel it designates will be able to carry out its mandate without the protection of the United States Military whose withdrawal provokes the violence. Why not instead let the surge work and protect the people of Iraqi, IN Iraq, alongside their allies?

SEC. 4. COUNTRIES OF SIGNIFICANCE.

With respect to each country containing a significant population of displaced Iraqis, including Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon, the Secretary of State shall–

(1) as appropriate, seek to negotiate a bilateral refugee resettlement agreement for such populations;

(2) develop mechanisms to ensure the well-being, safety, and right to work of such populations in their host environments, including the necessary financial, material, and political assistance to support such mechanisms;

(3) submit to Congress, not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter, a report on the actions taken and progress made under this subsection.

I presume the necessary financial, material…support will becoming from U.S. Taxpayers, and going to the governments of Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon. Why we are paying Syria for the upkeep of the Iraqi refugees they will be faced with, when we know they are responsible for equipping and transporting many of Al Qaeda’s fighters into Iraq to cause the upheaval is not exactly clear.

SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT BY GAO.

Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the adequacy and effectiveness of United States and United Nations programs to protect and assist Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons.

This report will no doubt provide useful data for the Security Council as it debates inserting peace-keepers to end the expected genocide. Except in this bill, any Western presence is presumed to invoke unstoppable violence, including the U.N…..To save time why don’t we just keep our troops there and continue the surge which is working to stop the violence? The defeatists continue to maintain their assumption that the blue helmet is such a powerful piece of military equipment that no terrorist group can stand against it. Except that Al Qaeda already chased the UN out of Iraq before and no doubt would do so again.

SEC. 6. INCREASE IN NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.

(a) In General- In addition to the numerical limitations provided for under subsections (a) and (b) of section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), the number of refugees who may be admitted during the remainder of fiscal year 2007 and during fiscal year 2008 under subsection (c) of such section shall be increased by not fewer than 20,000 for the purpose of admitting refugees from Iraq.

(b) Prioritization- The following groups shall be considered Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern under the refugee resettlement priority system:

(1) Female-headed households and unaccompanied children.

(2) Religious communities of antiquity, including Chaldo-Assyrian Christians, Jews, Sabean Mandeans, Yazidis, Bahais, and others.

(3) Other religious, ethnic, social, or minority groups, including gay and lesbian Iraqis, subject to violence, intimidation, or discrimination by state or non-state actors.

(4) Iraqis with family members in the United States.

Or discrimination? How are we defining discrimination? Frankly I fail to see how the entire population of Iraq, every man, woman, and child doesn’t fit into one of these categories. Also note that it expands the number of admitted refugees for the remainder of Fiscal year 2007 and all of 2008 by not fewer than 20,000. This will be 20,000 refugees in the “Priority 2″ category in addition to the 15,000 refugees in 2008 in the Primary Category. “Not fewer than 20,000″ sounds like it could be a very high number indeed, all within the next year and half. Not nearly enough time for our local communities to welcome and prepare for their assimilation. And while that apparently doesn’t meet David Keene’s lobbying group’s definition of a floodgate opened, it does meet mine.

SEC. 7. SECURITY AND RELATED GROUNDS FOR INADMISSIBILITY.

(a) In General- Section 212(d)(3)(B)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(3)(B)(i)) is amended to read as follows:

(B)(i) The Secretary of State, after consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, may determine in such Secretary’s sole unreviewable discretion that subsection (a)(3)(B) shall not apply with respect to an alien within the scope of that subsection, or that subsection (a)(3)(B)(vi)(III) shall not apply to a group. Such a determination shall neither prejudice the ability of the United States Government to commence criminal or civil proceedings involving a beneficiary of such a determination or any other person, nor create any substantive or procedural right or benefit for a beneficiary of such a determination or any other person. Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or non-statutory), including section 2241 of title 28, United States Code, or any other habeas corpus provision, and sections 1361 and 1651 of such title, no court shall have jurisdiction to review such a determination except in a proceeding for review of a final order of removal pursuant to section 242 and only to the extent provided in subsection (a)(2)(D) of such section. The Secretary of State may not exercise the discretion provided in this clause with respect to an alien at any time during which the alien is the subject of pending removal proceedings under section 240.’.

At first review, this section of the bill is mind-numbingly innocuous. but it gets pretty interesting if you look up what 1182 (a)(3)(B)(i) is:

(3) Security and related grounds

(A) In general
Any alien who a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, seeks to enter the United States to engage solely, principally, or incidentally in -

In general Any alien who a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, seeks to enter the United States to engage solely, principally, or incidentally in - (i) any activity (I) to violate any law of the United States relating to espionage or sabotage or (II) to violate or evade any law prohibiting the export from the United States of goods, technology, or sensitive information,any activity (I) to violate any law of the United States relating to espionage or sabotage or (II) to violate or evade any law prohibiting the export from the United States of goods, technology, or sensitive information, (ii) any other unlawful activity, orany other unlawful activity, or (iii) any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means, is inadmissible.any activity a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means, is inadmissible.(B) Terrorist activities - Any alien who - (I) has engaged in a terrorist activity,

Naturally, you might assume that given the amount of terrorist activity going on in Iraq, the Congress would be giving the power to the State and Homeland Security Department to be more stringent than would otherwise be allowed to determine who is a terrorist, or a member of a terrorist group. You would be wrong. the bill reads:

The Secretary of State, after consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, may determine in such Secretary’s sole unreviewable discretion that subsection (a)(3)(B) shall not apply with respect to an alien within the scope of that subsection, or that subsection (a)(3)(B)(vi)(III) shall not apply to a group.

Which means either the State or Homeland Security Department has the unreviewable discretion to determine that a person or group requesting immigration does not have to conform to the terror section of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. And not just for Iraq. This is an amendment to the entire Immigration and Naturalization Act, which would presumably apply to EVERY immigrant and not just to Iraq’s special situation. Now I’m admittedly NOT a lawyer, and I would love to be wrong on that section. So law-bloggers out there take a look and post your interpretations. But that’s how it reads to me. If I am right, this proposed bill makes the illegal immigration bill everyone hated look like the Magna Carta. This is the bill that Grover Norquist and David Keene are pushing? With their Islamist associations, it makes you wonder just which “friends” of the US they support seeing brought over as refugees:

(b) Duress Exception- Section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)) is amended, in the matter preceding item (aa), by striking `to commit an act that the actor knows’ and inserting `to commit an act, other than an act carried out under duress, that the actor knows’.

1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI) is:

(VI) to commit an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should know, affords material support, including a safe house, transportation, communications, funds, transfer of funds or other material financial benefit, false documentation or identification, weapons (including chemical, biological, or radiological weapons), explosives, or training—

While I certainly understand that terrorists may have forced some people to provide those things under duress, I fail to see how you can possibly prove that. Every terrorist in Iraq will be able to claim they acted under duress. What exactly do the sponsors of HR 2265 think that Al Qaeda does to people who disobey, give two weeks vacation without pay? Anyone associated with a terrorist group could come up with a half way plausible argument that they were under duress. This amendment serves no purpose other than to undermine our immigration and naturalization laws regarding people who have served terrorist organizations, on the whim of the State Department, ICE and Homeland Security, government agencies that have been most limber at bending over backwards for Islamists and their supporters.

(c) Technical Correction- Section 212(a)(3)(B)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking `Subclause (VII)’ and inserting `Subclause (IX)’.

This amendment eliminates a requirement that a spouse or child of a terrorist either be unaware, or renounce the terrorist activity, with a subclause which would exempt spouses or children of terrorists who have committed terrorist acts within the last 5 years (2002) (regardless of who knew about their acts). This removes from the immigration authorities any requirement to ASK spouses or children what Daddy did in the war, since their knowledge is rendered irrelevant here. In fact, they can still support those terrorist acts (they don’t have to renounce them). Don’t ask, don’t tell - applied specifically to terrorist acts. “Technical correction” indeed.

(d) Regulations- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State shall each publish in the Federal Register regulations establishing the process by which the eligibility of a refugee, asylum seeker, or individual seeking to adjust the immigration status of such individual is considered eligible for any of the exceptions authorized by clause (i) of section 212(d)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(3)(B)), including a timeline for issuing a determination relating thereto.

Published regulations on how eligibility for the terrorist immigration plan works. Of course published regulations mean lawsuits for those who can create the appearance that they were unfairly NOT granted their exemption. If this bill passes thanks to Keene’s lobbying help, his Islamist lawyer buddies will sure owe him one. It will be an immigration lawyer field day. Any delays in processing immigration documents are now treated statistically by CAIR as “human rights violations,” with the compliance of the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this section. Such amendments and sections 212(a)(3)(B) and 212(d)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B) and 1182(d)(3)(B)) shall apply to–

(1) removal proceedings instituted before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this section; and

(2) acts and conditions constituting a ground for inadmissibility, excludability, deportation, or removal occurring or existing before, on, or after such date.

I take this to mean that any prospective immigrant with a terrorist background can now seek the exceptions this bill would create. It even includes removal proceedings, which would apparently be those immigrants we are seeking to deport because we found out about their unsavory terrorist credentials. Again, remember these are amendments to the original Immigration and Naturalization act. They apply to ALL immigrants, not just those coming from Iraq.

(f) Waiver of Limitation on United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund- Funds appropriated or otherwise made available for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund established under section 2(c)(2) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601(c)(2)) shall not be subject to the limitation contained in the second sentence of such section.

This waiver allows for the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund to exceed its normal legal cap of $100 million during the refugee resettlement process in Iraq. So we know they expect this to cost AT LEAST that much. I wonder if Grover Norquist, with his concerns about over-taxing of the U.S. public, wrote that clause. For information on who might get this aid to settle refugees in the U.S., see Refugee Resettlement Watch.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of section 2(c) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601(c)) for assistance to Iraqi refugees.

(b) Migration and Refugee Assistance- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Migration and Refugee Assistance account of the Department of State, of which–

(1) for assistance to Iraqi refugees in countries of first asylum through international nongovernmental organizations;

(2) for a contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

(3) for a contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross; and

(4) for the resettlement in the United States of Iraqis admitted to the United States as special immigrants or refugees under this Act.

(c) Office of Refugee Resettlement- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and Human Services for the resettlement in the United States of Iraqi refugees.

(d) Department of Homeland Security- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Secretary of Homeland Security for expedited refugee processing and the temporary expansion of the Refugee Corps of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security.

(e) International Disaster and Famine Assistance Account- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the International Disaster and Famine Assistance account of the Department of State for assistance to internally displaced Iraqis.

(f) FBI- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to expedite background checks and processing for Iraqis admitted to the United States as special immigrants or refugees under this Act.

(g) Diplomatic and Consular Programs- There is authorized to be appropriated to such sums as may be necessary to the Diplomatic and Consular Programs account of the Department of State to increase capacity to process special immigrant visas for Iraqis.

(h) Amounts and Availability- Amounts authorized to be appropriated under this section shall be in addition to amounts for such purposes that are otherwise authorized to be appropriated. Amounts appropriated under this section are authorized to remain available until expended.

Of course how much of that money will go to background checks by the FBI isn’t exactly clear. And these are foreign born Iraqis, who may have never stepped foot inside the United States before. Why would the FBI have ANY background on them at all? This sounds like a rubber stamp for all but the most obvious of problem cases, not to mention that it only authorizes the FBI to do background checks on the Iraqis, but the amendment to the law would create the possibility for exceptions for any alien terrorist.

That’s the nuts and bolts of H.R. 2265 which Norquist and Keene are pushing for so hard. We welcome your comments and critiques. A bill that severely damages the rules keeping known terrorists from immigrating to the US. And if I’m reading this correctly and it amends the entire Immigration act, that’s terrorists not just from Iraq, but around the globe. You might argue, that because some baathist insurgent groups or militias are now fighting alongside US troops, they should be considered friends. While it’s ideal in counter-insurgency to convince some of your opponents to change sides, it does not make them friends, nor should it make them eligible for a free ticket to the US.

Keene’s note calling for support of our Iraqi “friends” is disingenuous at best. If this bill passes, some of our Iraqi allies may indeed be spared from the possible genocide the Democrats seem determined to visit on Iraq. But not as many as will be spared if we stick with the Surge, and bring stability to Iraq. And no matter what happens in Iraq, we certainly don’t need provisions which will weaken immigration laws for terrorists across the board.