State Department Officials Visit Detroit, Discuss Issues Facing Iraqi Refugees with Local Community

Summary

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TROY, DEARBORN- U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of near Eastern Affairs Michael Corbin and the Deputy Assistant for Refugee Issues Larry Bartlett visited the southeast Michigan area this week with a focus on gathering information from the local Iraqi American community. Their visit featured a Town Hall meeting with Chaldean community in at the American Polish Cultural Center in Troy on Tuesday June 1 and a meeting with the Arab American community organized by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) at the Arab American National Museum on Wednesday, June 2.

The crowd listened intently to the first part of the discussion but grew angry after State Department officials didn't address what they deemed to be the key issues of deportation and the lack of safety among Chaldeans. One of the most important issues that Iraqi Chaldean community hope to discuss with the U.S. officials was the pending deportation of several Chaldeans that have violated their visa stays in the U.S.

Corbin also said U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011, and that the U.S government plans to make security in that nation a top priority. Corbin believes America will work closely with Iraq to ensure a government where all religious and ethnic groups are fairly represented.

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State Department Officials Visit Detroit, Discuss Issues Facing Iraqi Refugees with Local Community

TROY, DEARBORN- U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of near Eastern Affairs Michael Corbin and the Deputy Assistant for Refugee Issues Larry Bartlett visited the southeast Michigan area this we...

See the full content of this document

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