Obama’s National security adviser, Susan Rice said in a statement “On behalf of the President and his Administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world”. “The achievement of the 10,000 target proves what is possible, and there remains an urgent need to further strengthen USA leadership in resettling refugee families – with appropriate vetting – fleeing violence and war”.
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The White House touted its Syrian refugee expansion, proclaiming in a statement on Katrina’s anniversary that the 10,000th refugee will enter the US that day. Human rights advocates said that 10,000 refugees are a good start, and called for Obama to speed up the process.
The milestone avoids a potential embarrassment for Obama as he prepares to convene a refugee summit next month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in NY.
USA admission of Syrian refugees has been a hot issue in the 2016 race for the White House, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warning that fighters could enter the country posing as refugees. Back in April, halfway through the fiscal year, the U.S. In the first four years of the conflict, the United States resettled only 1,900 refugees and faced a United Nations case referrals backlog.
The announcement came more than a month ahead of schedule and was described by the Obama administration as a “meaningful step”.
Critics in Congress of Syrian refugee resettlement worry about the rapid increase, the Times reported. After the medical and security screening, the homeland security officer could approve the refugee’s application to be resettled in the US. They attempted to pass a requirement for Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence chiefs to sign off on every refugee, but the Democrats filibustered the bill, which led to its demise.
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Less than a year ago, in response to an historic global refugee crisis, involving millions of Syrians in flight from violence and conflict, President Obama directed his Administration to increase the number of Syrian refugees provided safe haven in the United States. Our 10,000th Syrian refugee will arrive this afternoon.
