Hundreds of Russian Jewish refugees on their way to the United States are expected to be delayed by new American guidelines that will subject them to extra security reviews.
The new guidelines, which go into effect Aug. 1, will further prolong what has become an arduous immigration process in the wake of Sept. 11.
It will subject emigrants from Russia to the same restrictions that have affected hundreds of Jewish refugees from Iran.
Many of the Iranian Jews are stranded in Vienna, awaiting security clearance.
Refugees from Iran and Islamic countries in Africa have been subject to the extra reviews because they come from countries deemed by the U.S. State Department to support terrorist organizations or are suspected of doing so.
Now all males aged 18-65 from Russia will encounter the extra hurdle as well, which will also affect family members traveling with them.
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society was told the new requirement for Russians was prompted by concerns that Russian nationals could be connected with terrorist and organized crime activities and there is potential for the transfer of dangerous technologies from Russia to the United States.
Russian Jewish refugees could expect delays for several months, according to Leonard Glickman, executive vice president of HIAS.
He also expressed concern that a significant delay in processing could torpedo the opportunity for some refugees to immigrate to the United States at all.
After being granted refugee status, individuals face a one-year deadline to travel.
If the new delay pushes a refugee past that deadline then he will lose his refugee status and the case is closed for good, Glickman said.
Jews from the former Soviet Union can gain refugee status under a U.S. law that allows officials to take into account the history of anti-Semitism when refugees assert they have been persecuted.
Refugees are entitled to special benefits. Jews make up some 30 percent of refugees from the former Soviet Union.
The new security measures apply only to refugees from Russia, not other former Soviet countries.
Glickman and other officials from refugee agencies met recently with State Department, National Security Council and Domestic Policy Council officials to discuss various problems with the refugee programs.
The refugee system has been reeling ever since Sept. 11 when concerns about foreign nationals led to a moratorium on all refugee interviews and processing.
Even after the moratorium was lifted in December, it had already caused a considerable backlog that shows little sign of abating.
Refugee advocacy organizations are urging the Bush administration to address the backlog by allowing extra refugees in next year.
The ceiling for refugees in 2002 was set at 70,000, but because of all the problems in the system, organizations say there is no chance that the number will be met and perhaps only half that number will actually come to the United States.
Refugee groups are urging the State Department to shift the savings to enable more refugees next year rather then shift the money into assistance programs, which is also an option.
The program in the former Soviet Union was actually one of the only programs that was continuing to operate, albeit in a modest way, according to Glickman.
“Now, we don’t know what will happen,” he said, because any new procedural change has resulted in additional delays.
“I’m not all that optimistic that this will be easily implemented,” he added.
For the Iranian Jewish refugees stuck in Vienna, there are 141 long-pending security requests submitted in January that are still waiting for clearance.
With those refugees traveling with 191 family members, the total is 332 people still waiting to leave after seven months, according to HIAS.
For the Russians, HIAS officials said they were able to grandfather in those refugees ready to travel in August, and apply the new security reviews to those leaving later.
A State Department official said there is no way to determine how many people would be affected by the new requirement because visas are issued on a case-by-case basis.
HIAS bases its estimate of 230 to 270 Russian Jews being affected through October on the number of applications filed, the number of approvals, and the number of those who have not yet traveled.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
