Obama wants to admit more Syrian refugees

Reps. John Conyers Jr. and Zoe Lofgren, who are the two top House Democrats on the committee dealing with immigration, also said the U.S. should take a total of 200,000 refugees, or almost three times the number accepted in 2014.

The proposed resettling of the 10,000 would be allocated out of a USA quota of 75,000 refugee admissions slated for next fiscal year, beginning October 1, according to an Obama administration official.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest did not say if the country would take just 10,000 or later made a decision to allow more. Officials in Washington have previously said that the United States would accept between 5,000 and 8,000 Syrian refugees over the next year.

Four million people have registered as refugees with the United Nations since the outbreak of the war in Syria.

“We are committed to increasing the number of refugees we take and we are looking hard at the number we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in Syria and Europe and their migration today”, Kerry said.

Earnest said the “most effective” way the USA can combat the problem is by providing financial aid for basic necessities-food, water, medical supplies, and education. “How can President Obama say it is our moral obligation to do what we can to prevent the worst atrocities in our world, but refuses to do anything to stop the atrocities that are occurring every single day in Syria and across the Middle East?” asked McCain.

In the current fiscal year, the U.S.in on track to accept only 1,500 Syrian migrants.

There are also security concerns in Europe and within the US , as future host countries want to guard against accepting foreign fighters from ISIS or others who may seek entry to commit acts of terrorism.

The United States is now directing air strikes in Syria with Turkey and other countries, as part of their offensive against the Islamic State.

Since the conflict began in 2011, 250,000 people have been killed and half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes, leaving 7.6 million people displaced within the country and creating 4 million refugees who had fled the country altogether. Earnest noted that congress will need to authorize additional funds in order to accommodate the increased influx of Syrian refugees next year. The United States has been reaching out to its allies all along, sending both money and provisions.

IRC chief David Miliband said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that the US should take 65,000 of Syrian refugees “to maintain its leadership position in refugee resettlement”.

For children like 12-year-old Hadija, life in a refugee camp in Lebanon, just miles from the Syrian border, is the new normal.