10,000th Syrian refuge – The United States should welcome Monday the 10,000th Syrian refugee in one year, one month before the date set by President Barack Obama, the White House said.
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Although Rice said the 10,000 refugees represented a six-fold increase over the previous year’s admissions, the number was a minuscule fraction of the 20 million refugees now fleeing war zones and other harsh conditions around the world. Alice Wells, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, told CNN the figures are “a floor, not a ceiling”.
The United States accepted fewer than 1,700 Syrian refugees in fiscal year. The businessman has suggested the refugees coming to the US could be members of the terror organization ISIS. Obama leaves office on January 20, 2017.
Other European countries have instead attempted to shut out refugees and migrants. That could prove an obstacle to any significant increase in the program.
Obama’s decision to admit any Syrian refugees has been opposed by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and many GOP lawmakers, who have stoked fears that there might be terrorists in their midst.
Wells maintained that America’s absorption of Syrians did not come at the cost of the country’s rigorous screening processes.
“We will admit at least 85,000 refugees in total this year, including vulnerable individuals and families from Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Iraq, Somalia, Ukraine, and many other countries”.
“We’re certainly pleased the administration has reached their goal, but at the same time it’s important to ground that in the reality that …”
All refugees must undergo extensive background checks by the departments of State and Homeland Security and several US intelligence agencies, and Syrian refugees receive additional vetting.
It is not a surprise the 10,000 number will be met. CNN reported 10 days ago the administration was expected to mark the milestone of meeting that number within the coming weeks. Hungary previous year constructed a razor-wire fence along its borders with Serbia and Croatia, and now plans to build a more permanent wall.
Alice Wells, the US ambassador to Jordan, said on Sunday that the USA would hit the 10,000-person goal this week, The Associated Pressreported.
Initially, there were concerns about the administration’s ability to meet the new target.
And Earnest suggested that Obama would like to do even more in the next fiscal year, which begins October 1. The vast majority of them live in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Reaching the goal early is being touted as a major accomplishment for the administration, but not everyone is happy with it.
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“I hope that the United States will continue to welcome thousands more Syrian families who are fleeing the brutal war and are determined to rebuild their futures”, she said.
