What does Chaldean imply in terms of geographic origin, native languages, religion?
ZA: Their language is Aramaic, used by the Hebrews in the time of Jesus Christ. Chaldeans are from Babylon. They are the original settlers of Iraq, Mesopotamia. And they were there before the Arabs invaded Iraq. So they really are the ancient settlers of Iraq. They are Catholics. You expect as many as 17,000 Iraqi refugees to arrive in the United States in the coming year? BC: Yes. In 2007, the quota was 7,000 but only 2,600 arrived because of a backlog in processing visas. In 2008, the United States approved 12,000 and it did reach the quota. In 2009, the quota is for another 17,000 who have relatives here. They are coming from refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey, Syria and Jordan. ZA: The number is a small percentage of who is out there. It’s basically because of the war situation. People who are threatened. Some who have family members who were killed or they themselves were kidnapped or threatened. Christians and Muslims. They have been in camps for years. How does the processing work
