Migrant crisis: President Obama orders U.S. to accept at least 10000 Syrian

The White House has already taken in 1,500 Syrian refugees since 2011, a small number critics say [Xinhua].

The US will take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016, the White House said Thursday.

“To those who oppose the USA welcoming Iraqi Christian refugees because of the fear of terrorism, Christians do not a pose a threat to this country, ” said Arabo.

The White House yesterday announced a planned seven-fold increase in the number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States. In the Czech Republic, authorities are pulling refugees off trains and numbering them with markers. These groups receive US funds to help welcome the arriving refugees and determine the best place in the country for them to relocate, find housing, learn some English, and start looking for jobs.

The wrenching picture of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, laying facedown on the sand after attempting to cross the Mediterranean with his family, has come to embody the humanitarian crisis unfolding as hundreds of thousands of Syrians flee the civil war in their country.

The statement followed a Wednesday meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry.

As the the refugee crisis worsens, President Obama has directed his administration to resettle at least 10,000 Syrians over the course of the year, reports The New York Times.

“You’re eligible for refugee resettlement services, which are temporary housing assistance, financial assistance and job assistance”, Kaper says.

It comes during a year in which Obama has been increasingly criticized for not setting a clear strategy for dealing with the Islamic State group, with many critics, and even allies, beginning to call for a stronger military response. “It certainly is not feasible for millions of Syrians to come to this country”.

UNICEF and its partners have been working, though, to get more refugee children enrolled in local public schools for free. “We should be ready to respond”, Durbin said.

Officials of several charities said they were concerned about public resistance in some areas of the United States to accepting large numbers of Muslim refugees. In Berlin, demonstrators waved a Syrian flag with “Refugees Welcome” written on it, while rallies in Stockholm, Helsinki and Lisbon each attracted around 1,000 people.

“What we’re trying to do is weed out people who are liars, who are criminals or would-be terrorists”, a senior State Department official said. “But what we can do is make sure that we are doing everything we can to try to provide for their basic needs”, Earnest added.

With the United States preparing to taking in more displaced Syrians, a State Department official shed more light Friday on the USA vetting process for accepting refugees, which can take 18 months to two years.