House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, warned last Sunday that the United States does not have the intelligence to properly vet Syrian refugees and that he believes the Islamic State will use and “exploit the refugee crisis to infiltrate the west”.
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“The suffering and risks for thousands of refugees and migrants are meanwhile increasing as uncertainty and a lack of information fuels desperation, raises the likelihood of further incidents, and stokes hostility towards people who have fled persecution and conflict and are in need of help”, Mr. Edwards said.
The United States previously announced that it would accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year, which begins in October.
However, the refugees to be accepted by the USA will not be all Syrian, American officials said.
He also called for the U.S.to take a greater role in helping Syrian refugees.
The change in USA policy, which expands the administration’s previous statement that it would take in an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, doesn’t need the blessing of Congress, though members would have to decide to set aside requisite funding for the effort.
But the U.S.is already accepting more than its fair share of refugees.
“This step is in keeping with America’s best tradition as a land of second chances and a beacon of hope,” Kerry said in announcing the increase during a visit to Berlin to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis with his German counterpart, Frank Walter Steinmeier.
“We’re doing what we know we can manage immediately”, Kerry said.
Eurostat reported that the number of Afghans lodging asylum claims rose from 6,300 to 27,000 and another 17,700 claims were made by Albanians, whose country is at peace.
Lebanon has received $965 million in US humanitarian aid since 2012, according to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. “We have families that, for a long time, have been under pretty severe circumstances in Aleppo”, said Bleam.
Khan says the USA could face a similar problem with jihadists trying to enter the U.S. under the guise of refugees.
Even as tens of thousands of migrants arrive in Greece, an August count from OCHA shows nearly two million people have been newly displaced inside Syria since January 2015.
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“They have to go through interviews, medical checks, very strict background and security checks so it takes up to two years for them to be processed to allow them to migrate to this country”, said World Relief Spokane Director, Mark Kadle.
