The Obama administration has said that refugees fleeing war and persecution are the most scrutinized of all immigrants who come into the United States.
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“While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the president understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader global community”, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in a statement.
In total, almost five million people have fled Syria since 2011, according to the United Nations, the vast majority of which are living now in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump frequently talks about his opposition to Syrian refugees, insisting terrorists are among them.
“We’re equally as dedicated to our efforts to end the civil war in Syria so that people don’t have to flee, so that when this is over they’ll have a home to go back to, whether it’s returning to Syria from the United States or from any other country that they’ve sought refuge in”, Kirby said.
Rice didn’t mention the name of the refugee, or where he or she will be relocated.
As of the end of July, refugees from Burma and the Democratic Republic of the Congo made up the largest proportions of refugees resettled in the US this fiscal year, followed by those from Syria. Instead, donor countries are trying to invest more in job creation and education for refugees in regional host countries to encourage them to stay there instead of moving onward, including to Europe.
In addition, some Democrats in Congress have pressed to toughen the screening process for Syrian refugees.
That’s a dramatic increase from the 1,500 Syrian refugees admitted a year ago.
“The president is gratified that we have succeeded in meeting this goal”, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in his own statement Monday.
UPDATE: The 10,000th refugee will be here this afternoon.
The US had only admitted about 1,900 refugees in the first four years of the conflict, and was facing a backlog of United Nations case referrals. That process usually takes at least 18 months – sometimes longer – before a refugee is put on a plane to arrive in the U.S.
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All refugees must undergo extensive background checks by the departments of State and Homeland Security and several USA intelligence agencies, and Syrian refugees receive additional vetting. Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is among a group of state leaders who have tried to fight the resettlement program and bar refugees from resettling in particular states.
