Statement By Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff In Commemoration Of World Refugee Day

Release Date: June 20, 2007

Contact: DHS Press Office, (202) 282-8010

I am pleased to announce our commemoration of World Refugee Day, an annual event that honors the courage, strength, and contributions of refugees across the globe.

Throughout its history, America has provided refuge and safety to the world’s most vulnerable people.  Indeed, our country has welcomed more refugees and asylum seekers than any other nation.

Helping these brave people remains a vital part of the mission of our Department of Homeland Security. While we seek to bar terrorists and others who pose a lethal threat to our nation, we continue to act decisively to help provide protection to those individuals who genuinely need it.

I want to commend our DHS employees, at home and abroad, for their dedicated service on behalf of refugees and asylees.  I especially want to highlight some of the vital work being performed by our U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in this area.

Working through this agency, we granted protection to 10,000 asylum seekers and to more than 41,000 refugees from 60 countries in the latest fiscal year.  That includes the most vulnerable refugees from Iraq, particularly those whose lives were jeopardized by their decision to work for our coalition forces. We’ve sent refugee officers across the Middle East to interview them and help ensure that the ones who are most at risk can come to our shores and build new lives.

At the same time, USCIS has expanded its training and anti-fraud capacity to ensure the integrity of the refugee resettlement program and has strengthened its partnerships with law enforcement and national security colleagues. 

Through these efforts, we are affirming our noble heritage as a welcoming nation, one that remains a beacon of hope and protection for a suffering humanity.

DHS will continue to work diligently to ensure that genuine refugees and asylees receive protection and a warm welcome to our country.

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This page was last modified on June 20, 2007