Mike Levin: “I commend Senator Kennedy on his leadership on the issue he has been talking about. We have a great responsibility…”

“I commend Senator Kennedy on his leadership on the issue he has been talking about. We have a great responsibility, particularly to those people in Iraq who have helped us--translators, truck drivers, people who put their lives and the lives of their families on the line to help us. Whether you agree with American policy in Iraq--and I don't--whether you feel we ought to have gone there--I thought it was a mistake and so voted--we are there. People are putting their lives on the line to help our troops and us. We surely owe them an opportunity to become refugees if they otherwise qualify. Instead they run into the hurdles, barricades, and bureaucracy Senator Kennedy talked about. He has taken a very important lead on that issue. There has been a lot of bipartisan support on this effort. There is another group I have been particularly worried about; they are religious minorities in Iraq, including Caldeans and Assyrians. These are Christians caught in the crossfire. That group is also given a special preference in this legislation which was adopted last night. It is a modest beginning toward carrying out our responsibility--and we bear some real responsibility as well as obligation--for some of these folks. It is a very small step. I wish to say Senator Kennedy has been relentless on this refugee issue. It was off the radar.…”