Congressman Blumenauer has been the leader in the Congress to address the Iraqi refugee crisis. The ongoing violence in Iraq is marked by the world's fastest growing refugee and internally displaced populations. While Congressman Blumenauer believes that the United States has a responsibility to all innocent Iraqis who are suffering as a result of the war, he believes that we bear a particular responsibility to those who are being targeted because they helped the United States. Many well-meaning Iraqis who either served as a translator for the U.S. military or worked for a humanitarian organization have been made the targets of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Sunni insurgents, or Shiite militias.
Congressman Blumenauer introduced the first comprehensive legislation to address this deepening crisis, the "Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act." This legislation requires specific assistance to Iraqi refugees and the countries that are hosting them, made it easier for vulnerable Iraqis to come to the United States, and set up a special program to assist Iraqis who helped American efforts. Many of the provisions from Congressman Blumenauer's legislation were signed into law in January 2008 as part of the larger National Defense Authorization Act.