Tom Fudge : When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, it created what would soon become a very serious refugee problem. Ousting Saddam Hussein unleashed a string of power struggles and vendettas. Many people were killed, and many people thought they had no choice but to flee. They fled to Jordan. They fled to Syria and to other parts of the Middle East. Many of them wanted to flee to the United States. But the U.S. has been quite restrictive as to how many Iraqis it would allow to settle here. And it's caught a lot of criticism for its refugee policy.
San Diego has long been the destination for many people who have fled Iraq for political and economic reasons. And about 2,000 refugees have come here since 2003. A lot of them have come here with the help of the International Rescue Committee, the IRC.
Guest
- Robert Montgomery , regional resettlement director for the International Rescue Committee .
