The United States is deeply committed to protecting and assisting refugees. Our nation has a distinguished history as the world's leader in refugee resettlement: more refugees have been resettled in the United States than in any other country in the world, and we have protected thousands of asylees who applied for protection within our borders. Protecting refugees and asylees is an integral and vitally important part of DHS' mission and is fully consonant with our goal of securing our homeland. While we seek to keep out terrorists and others who pose a danger, we can and must continue to provide safe haven for persons genuinely in need of our protection.
I take this opportunity to commend DHS employees, at home and around the world, for their service in protecting and assisting refugees and asylees. I also mark this occasion by highlighting some of the significant achievements of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Refugee and Asylum Divisions.
In fiscal year 2005, 53,813 refugees from 63 countries received protection in the United States after interviews with Refugee Division staff in every region of the world. USCIS is carrying out transformational change in this area with the creation of the Refugee Corps, a cadre of highly trained, professional officers dedicated full-time to interviewing refugees and adjudicating their requests for protection, often in austere conditions. The Refugee Corps is already 30 officers strong, supported by a new and expanded management team, and it is expected to increase in size this year by 50 percent.
The Asylum Division granted protection in 9,897 cases in fiscal year 2005 and approved 3,938 cases during the first half of fiscal year 2006. Applicants can generally count on a decision within 60 days of applying for protection. The Asylum Division recently deployed U.S. Visitor and Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) to its eight offices nationwide. This added technological resource allows Asylum Officers to verify the identity of asylum seekers, some of whom may have fled with the assistance of a smuggler who confiscated the asylum seeker's travel documents, and to verify information provided by applicants in support of their requests for protection.
DHS will continue to work steadfastly to ensure that genuine refugees and asylees receive necessary protection and a warm welcome in the United States
