United States they are placed on a fast track to citizenship and are able to get their extended families to join them in the states under the government's Refuge Family Reunification program.

The State Department works to place refugees in 180 cities across 49 states.

Click here to view the database containing all 180 cities accepting U.N. refugees for resettlement.

Despite the large numbers, the U.S. has come under criticism from aid groups for its pace in taking in refugees from the Syrian war, which is by far the largest refugee crisis of recent years, reported Ann Corcoran of Refugee Resettlement Watch.

U.S. officials say the resettlement program has moved slowly because the United Nations refugee agency, which they look to for referrals, didn’t begin making recommendations until late last year. Andthe United States takes 18 to 24 months on average to carefully vet each applicant to make sure he or she poses no security risk.

Muslim countries in the Middle East have so far not stepped up to permanently take in their Islamic brothers and sisters although the temporary refugee camps to which the Syrians have fled are in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

The State Department announcement was careful to explain that the U.S. will take in only those Syrians who are "persecuted by their government." Christians in Syria are being killed by ISIS and other Muslim rebels, not by "their government," but the Sunni Muslims are being killed by the Shiite-led government.

It also would not take 18 to 24 months to "vet" Christian refugees for security purposes.

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