Help for Mandaean refugees on the way

I am excited to report that the Senate has passed a bill to help resettle vulnerable populations in the US. Now is the moment to encourage your House Representative in Washington D.C. to support and pass this legislation. It feels like it has been a long campaign to help the Mandaeans, but it looks like some good may come out of it.

This excerpt is quoted from Refugee's International E-Update which was sent to me today:

Victory! Senate Passes Bill to Help Iraqi Refugees

Late last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an amendment, the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007, to assist Iraqi translators and others who have been targeted for working with the United States. The bill would increase the number of vulnerable Iraqis who can be resettled in the U.S. by improving the process for Iraqis to apply for resettlement. Refugees International thanks Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for introducing this bill, as well as the numerous Senators, including Senators Gordon Smith (R-Ore), Sam Brownback (R-Kan), and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn), who supported the bill. Refugees International urges the House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and pass this legislation. In addition, the Bush Administration should increase regional security by providing humanitarian relief funding to the countries hosting the millions of Iraqi refugees who have been forced to flee the violence in Iraq, as well as the NGOs and UN agencies providing relief services for displaced Iraqis.

• Read Refugees International's press release supporting the Refugees Crisis in Iraq Act
• Read Senator Kennedy's Statement on the Passage of the Amendment