Iraqi refugees

The Bush administration under intense pressure at home and around the world this year will meet its goal of allowing 12,000 Iraqi refugees into the United States. That is a considerable improvement over the 1,600 displaced Iraqis allowed into the country in the 2007 fiscal year.

Having met the objective this fiscal year, the administration is looking to raise the goal to 17,000 in the 2009 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The increase, though, falls well short of the 105,000 that some advocacy groups had been seeking.

The groups said in a statement that the U.S. response to the refugee crisis "is incommensurate with the scope of the need."

The administration has been widely criticized for failing to do more for the nearly 2 million Iraqis who have fled their country to avoid the ethnic and sectarian violence and religious persecution. They also include several thousand Iraqis fearing retaliation for working for the U.S. government or contractors. Most of the refugees are in Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt.

The figures do not include internally displaced Iraqis.

To achieve this year's objective, the administration has streamlined the admissions process that was hampered by differences within the state and homeland security departments. The application process can now begin in Baghdad.

The administration has doubled to $318 million the assistance it provides to other countries hosting Iraqis in refugee camps until they can return to their own country or resettle in other nations. The Bush administration has made some progress in meeting America's responsibilities, but more can be done.