Following the 2003 U.S. invasion, tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees fled their country for Lebanon. In 2007, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants estimated their number to be between 20,000 and 40,000, with other estimates putting the number higher. 40 000 is the number given by the Beirut office of the UNHCR, while security officials from the Lebanese Ministery of Internal Affairs believe it is closer to 100 000 in 2007. "Fewer than 10 percent of Iraqis arriving in Lebanon actually register with UNHCR, according to Carole El Sayed, assistant community services officer for UNHCR Beirut", therefore Iraqi refugees in Lebanon are considered as illegal.