Barack Obama orders U.S. to take in 10000 Syrian refugees

White House spokesman Josh Earnest made the announcement at his daily press conference one day after Secretary of State John Kerry said that the country was committed to taking in more Syrian refugees to respond to the immigration crisis that was affecting Europe, reports Efe.

“I do feel confident in telling you that the president will not sign off on a process that cuts corners when it comes to the basic safety and security of the American people and the United States homeland”, Mr Earnest told reporters. More than 250,000 people have been killed since the conflict four years ago. He added that the president would “not sign off on a process that cuts corners” on security guarantees for the United States.

Refugee resettlement agencies based in the Washington area said Friday that they are actively preparing to welcome an influx from the conflict in Syria, while also petitioning the Obama administration to resettle far more than the roughly 10,000 Syrians that the White House announced this week would be accepted. Committee Chair Chuck Grassley likes the idea of bringing in the 10,000 but said Kerry was not sure if they would try to bring in more later.

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.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Merkel’s deputy, said the migrants could help Germany – which expects to take in about 800,000 people this year alone – to tackle the demographic challenge of a rapidly ageing population.

With about 10,000 of those referrals already in advanced screening stages, the State Department official said, “we believe it is an achievable goal but it’s going to take quite a bit of work”.

The change in White House policy came only after intense scrutiny was turned on the relatively low number of refugees the United States has allowed, compared to other countries in Europe and the Middle East.

As McCaul mentioned, ISIS has vowed to use the refugee crisis to infiltrate western Europe and eventually, the United States.

“It takes between 18 to 24 months between when a refugee is referred to us and when they – if approved, when they end up arriving in the United States“.

Like all refugees, fleeing their country means leaving everything behind. “To scale up to a degree that some members of Congress have in mind would have some significant fiscal consequences”, he said. Claudia Ruiz Massieu said Mexico hasn’t determined how many refugees it might accept.

Worldwide humanitarian advocates think that the new number is just a drop in the bucket, and say that the USA could do more.