The destruction caused by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq extends far beyond the battlefield. Three Iraqis explain how the war has forever changed their lives

Listen to the testimonies and stories of three Iraqi refugees: Ban Farid, Laith Yousif and Hakim.Shelter from the Storm

Even in the countries that have welcomed the most Iraqis, restrictions are mounting.

Since the war began in 2003, Syria and Jordan have born the brunt of the refugee burden, with Syria sheltering 1.5 million Iraqis and Jordan taking in close to 1 million. Other refugees are scattered across Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and the Gulf States.

Within the European Union, Sweden alone has extended a warm welcome, accepting approximately 10,000 Iraqis refugees in 2006 and nearly 20,000 more in 2007. But as the costs—social as well as economic—of admitting so many refugees climb, the country is beginning to tighten its borders. A spokesperson for Sweden’s immigration services recently announced that in January 2008, approximately 40 percent of Iraqi candidates were granted asylum, compared with 90 percent in 2007. And Swedish courts now require asylum-seekers to prove they faced an actual threat to their person.

In the Middle East, the vast majority of Iraqi refugees aren’t able to work legally or gain access to basic social services.

Jordan, which has a total population of only 6 million, has been overwhelmed by the influx of nearly 1 million new residents. As a result, the country closed its borders to most new refugees in January 2006. And it wasn’t until the fall of 2007 and with the assistance of the United Nations that the Jordanian government finally agreed to let Iraqi children attend school without paying fees. Still, the fear of deportation has kept many Iraqi parents from registering their kids for classes.

Syria, which originally had established the most generous policies toward Iraqi refugees, began imposing serious restrictions in fall 2007, including payment requirements for health care fees and stricter visa rules, which forced some refugees to return to Iraq. The government also has closed its borders to all but a few new entrants.

Although Iraqi children are permitted to attend Syrian schools for free, many refugee families are not able to afford the necessary books and uniforms. This has resulted in a widespread increase in child labor. And in their desperation to provide for their children, some Iraqi women have turned to prostitution.

Because of the severity of these conditions, the hopes of most of the 2.5 million Iraqis who have fled the country—another 2 million are internally displaced—rests on finding their way to North America or Europe, according to Refugees International.

Making it to America

The U.S. is not delivering on its promises to admit Iraqi refugees.

Between 2003 and the end of 2006, fewer than 500 Iraqis successfully resettled in the U.S., according to a January 2007 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

This has led organizations, such as the International Rescue Committee and Refugees International, to call with increasing insistence on the U.S. to provide sanctuary for the most vulnerable Iraqis. They argue that because of the U.S.’s central role in the crisis, it should be leading the international effort to resettle the refugees. In particular, these groups are calling for the Bush administration to aid persons who have worked for Americans, are persecuted minorities or, like the families of Hakim, Ban and Laith, already have close relatives in the U.S.

But the American immigration system is plagued by backlogs and bureaucratic delays. The U.S. promised to welcome 7,000 Iraqis to the U.S. during the 2007 fiscal year, and in April stated that as many as 25,000 might be accepted through referrals from the UN. But in actuality, just over 1,600 Iraqis made it through visa processing.

The U.S. also pledged to admit 12,000 refugees over the course of the 2008 fiscal year. But during the first quarter (October through December 2007), only around 1,000 Iraqis were given access—one-third of the total number necessary to be on pace to hit the year’s target.

Back to Baghdad?

The reports of Iraqis returning home ignore the complex reasons behind their journeys.

In late 2007, the international media ran a series of stories about refugees returning to Iraq. But the number that has actually returned home is widely disputed—as are their reasons for doing so.

Estimates from the Iraqi government have tended toward the high end. Baghdad security spokesman Brigadier General Qassim Atta said that about 46,000 Iraqis returned in October alone. But in a January report based on statistics from government ministries and transportation companies, the Iraqi Red Crescent said that the total number of Iraqis who returned in the entire fall of 2007 was less than 50,000.

Furthermore, while the Iraqi government and U.S. military are anxious to credit improved security as the primary reason for the refugees’ return, others argue that most Iraqis who come back from Syria or Jordan do so because either they have run out of money or their visas have expired. Dr. Omer Salih Mahdi, a former Iraqi translator and the filmmaker behind Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone, said that few of his friends and colleagues in Iraq feel any now safer than before.

In fall 2007, UN workers asked 110 refugees planning to go back to Iraq why they were leaving. According to Takahashi, only 14 percent said they were going home because they believed the security situation had improved.

And according to a UNHCR report issued in late January 2008, Syrian immigration officials said that refugees entering the country each day (approximately 1,200) outnumbered those returning to Iraqi (approximately 700) almost two to one.