WASHINGTON - The United States has fallen behind its own projections in welcoming thousands of Iraqi refugees to America, an international situation that reaches into the Tar Heel state in small but important ways.

One of the state's most powerful Democratic congressmen could play a role in monitoring the crisis, and he saw the problems firsthand in a recent visit to the Middle East.

The United States pledged to receive 12,000 refugees in the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, but the process has fallen far behind.

A little more than 1,100 Iraqi refugees have been admitted so far -- among them a married father of two, living in High Point and struggling with injuries from a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Refugee advocates are worried, and many hope Congress and members such as U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, will push for a speedier process.

"Monthly numbers continue to drop," said Jacob Kurtzer, congressional advocate with Refugees International, a humanitarian group based in Washington. "It's clear we're not meeting our own stated goals."

An estimated 2 million Iraqis have fled their homeland in the wake of growing civil strife as the United States' war there continues. Another million or so residents are thought to be displaced within the country.

Most are expected to eventually return to their homes.

But tens of thousands of Iraqis, many of them professionals with advanced degrees, fled because of their associations with Americans and others in the coalition of countries fighting the war.

"There's an obligation we have to receive a certain number of these people, and that has lagged very, very badly," said Price, who spent time studying the refugee crisis in Jordan this month as part of a homeland security trip through the Middle East.

Price could find himself in a position to address the situation. He is chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Homeland Security, which does security background checks on asylum applicants approved by the United Nations.

"The main issue is getting with the program, getting it done," Price said. "I think the major thing is inertia on the part of the administration. We are going to press this."

Numbers go down

The number of refugees coming to the United States has been declining since October, with 245 admitted in December.

Congress has tried to make some changes. Legislation in the current Department of Defense authorization bill is designed to streamline the process for some refugees, specifically those who worked with American companies or the military.

Still, the overall refugee program for Iraqis lags. President Bush initially pledged to bring in 7,000 Iraqi refugees in fiscal year 2007, but that goal was lowered to 2,000. About 1,600 refugees eventually were admitted, according to an Associated Press report.

Now, with the new pledge at 12,000 refugees for fiscal year 2008, advocates fear the administration will again fall short.

"Especially for those who are being persecuted for their role in helping the United States, that's one reason Americans should care," said Elizabeth Campbell, director of Refugee Council USA, which works to find homes for refugees across the country.

"The U.S. government and the people who supported the government have a particular responsibility to help those who helped them," Campbell said.

20 in North Carolina

So far, about 20 Iraqis have come into North Carolina since the resettlement program began last year. Among them is Salman, who worked as a translator for a private security contractor and now lives in High Point with his wife and two teenage sons. The News & Observer agreed to use only Salman's first name because he fears for his life.

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