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Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Selection of a Senior Advisor for Iraqi Refugee Affairs

Release Date: September 19, 2007

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

I am pleased to announce my selection of Lori Scialabba as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security for Iraqi Refugee Affairs. Lori brings more than 20 years of experience in immigration law and services to this new capacity, most recently as Associate Director of Refugee, Asylum and International Operations at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She previously served in various leadership roles at the Department of Justice, to include as Chairman of the Board of Immigration Appeals in the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Deputy General Counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, and as a trial attorney for the Office of Immigration Litigation in the Civil Division.

I announced in May that the department was enhancing security screening procedures for Iraqi refugees applying for resettlement in the United States. More than 4,309 interviews have been completed thus far, and we expect to have interviewed approximately 4,500 Iraqi refugees by the end of the month. Refugee officers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have interviewed, or scheduled interviews, with every Iraqi refugee for which a request was received from the Department of State.

America's tradition of welcoming international refugees and responding to humanitarian emergencies is unrivaled. More than 940 deserving Iraqi refugees have already been welcomed to our homeland. Yet we also must be mindful of the security risks associated with admitting refugees from war-torn countries, especially countries infiltrated by large numbers of terrorists.

I am grateful for Lori's service to the homeland. I will rely upon her unique expertise in continuing to welcome vulnerable Iraqis while ensuring that America's refugee program remains secure.

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This page was last reviewed/modified on September 19, 2007.