Accompanying the CG were Mr. Rusty Ingraham, Regional Refugee Coordinator based in Amman, Jordan; Mr. Christopher Smith, U.S Consulate General Istanbul; and from Washington, Ms. Jacquette McGhee, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) Team Leader; and Mr. Shannon Viren, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer.

Linda Samardzic, ICMC-OPE Director, as well as Meliha Hasanbegovic-Guso and Sandra Vines, Heads of Resettlement, Turkey and Remote Sites, respectively, presented an overview of the US Refugee Resettlement Program. The countries currently served by the program are India, Kuwaut, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, the UAE and Yemen. Ms. Samardzic discussed the operations of the Istanbul operation.

During her visit, Ms. Wiener remarked on the hard work required to complete refugee processing. She also had the opportunity to see the OPE in action when she observed part of a refugee adjudication interview.

Ms. Wiener's visit was an excellent opportunity to share program highlights over a Turkish coffee and to recognize the significant contributions of ICMC, as well as its US Embassy partners, to improving the lives of refugees in the region.