Home Affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici bidding goodbye to the beneficiaries of the US resettlement programme.
Thirteen persons from Somalia and Eritrea, made up of eight single adults and two couples, one of which with a child, left today to start a new life in the United States, under the US Refugee Resettlement Program (USRRP).
This latest departure brings the total of beneficiaries of international protection who were resettled to the United States from Malta since such resettlements started in 2007 to 824. The number of persons resettled under the USRRP totals 796.
Today's was the first departure to the United States for this year. Several others are expected to follow in the coming weeks.
In all 1,411 refugees and beneficiaries of international protection have been reallocated to various other developed countries since 2005.
The persons who departed this morning were selected following a process involving the UNHCR (Malta office) as well as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at various stages. US Government officials also conduct interviews in Malta.
The migrants were seen off by the Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Minister for Home and Parliamentary Affairs, accompanied by US Embassy officials and representatives of the IOM.
The minister expressed his satisfaction at witnessing these persons, who went through so much hardship, being given such an opportunity start their lives afresh in a new much larger country. "This is a prime example of charity in action. I thank those who for the past five years have strived to keep this resettlement programme going, particularly the U.S. Government, IOM, UNHCR and Ministry officials involved in this process."