Children play at the yard of an abandoned school used by volunteers for hosting families of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in Athens on June 27.

ARIS MESSINIS / AFP - Getty Images</s>US plans to take in 110,000 refugees next year

The White House has unveiled plans to increase refugee admissions to 110,000 next year, amid a fraught US debate over the appropriate numbers to take in.

Ahead of a summit on the global refugee crisis at the United Nations next week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said a goal has been set of admitting around 30 percent more refugees in the coming fiscal year.

That would include around 40,000 people from the near east and south Asia -- a vast region that includes Syria.

Nearly five million Syrians have fled their country since war broke out in 2011, and the United States has committed to resettling 10,000 this year, an issue that has inflamed the 2016 presidential election race.

While offering the prospect of accepting more refugees, the White House was talking tough about security.

"It's important for people to remember that individuals who admitted to the United States under this program have to undergo more rigorous screening and vetting than any other individual that enters the United States," said Earnest.

"The president places our national security at the top of his priority list. And that certainly is true with regard to considering the admission of refugees to the United States."

The United Nations on September 19 will host the first summit on refugees and migrants, which will be followed the next day by a pledging conference for new offers of aid to refugees hosted by Obama.</s>Obama plans to increase number of refugees admitted to U.S. - media

Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Obama Administration plans to increase the number of refugees admitted to the United States by 30 percent in fiscal year 2017, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an annual refugee report submitted to Congress.

Secretary of State John Kerry presented the new target of 110,000 in the 2017 fiscal year starting Oct. 1, up from 85,000 in 2016, during a closed session to members of the House and Senate judiciary committees on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.

Kerry has said repeatedly over the past year that the United States would admit at least 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2017 and try to admit more if it were able. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)</s>WASHINGTON (The Washington Post) - The Obama administration seeks to accept at least 110,000 refugees from around the world in fiscal 2017.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry briefed lawmakers Tuesday on the new goal, which is an increase from 85,000 in fiscal 2016 and 70,000 in the previous three years. It represents a 57 percent increase in refugee arrivals since 2015, as ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere have spurred an exodus of migrants seeking asylum in Europe, Canada and other regions.

A senior administration official, who asked for anonymity because the policy is not yet officially announced, “is consistent with our belief that all countries should do more to help the world’s most vulnerable people.”

The official added that Kerry told lawmakers “that if it is possible to do more” in terms of accepting refugees, “we would.”

The increase comes even as the question of refugees has emerged as an issue in this year’s presidential campaign. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump initially called for a halt to Muslims seeking to enter the United States but later modified this goal to say the ban should apply to any applicants coming from a country with a history of terrorism. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has called for the United States to accept more refugees from Syria, which has been embroiled in conflict for more than five years.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) criticized the decision, saying policymakers should focus on reforming the nation’s system for admitting refugees rather than having the White House set goals.

“For generations, the United States has been a safe haven for people fleeing persecution. We must remain compassionate toward refugees but we also need to make sure that we use common sense,” Goodlatte said in a statement. “Unfortunately, President Obama unilaterally increases the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year and gives little thought as to how it will impact local communities. The president also continues to ignore warnings from his own national security officials and plans to bring in even more Syrian refugees over the next year.”

CNN first reported the new refugee goal Wednesday morning.

The administration has launched a new effort to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict by brokering a still-fragile cease-fire with Russia that took effect Monday.</s>The Obama Administration plans to increase the number of refugees admitted to the United States by 30 percent in fiscal year 2017, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an annual refugee report submitted to Congress.

Secretary of State John Kerry presented the new target of 110,000 in the 2017 fiscal year starting Oct. 1, up from 85,000 in 2016, during a closed session to members of the House and Senate judiciary committees on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.

Kerry has said repeatedly over the past year that the United States would admit at least 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2017 and try to admit more if it were able.</s>Official: US sets goal to take in 110,000 refugees next year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will strive to take in 110,000 refugees from around the world in the coming year, a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday, in what would be a nearly 30 percent increase from the 85,000 allowed in over the previous year.

The increase reflects continuing concern about the refugee crisis stemming from Syria's civil war and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet it's still far short of what advocacy groups say is needed to address an unprecedented crisis that saw some 1 million people pour into Europe alone last year.

Of the 110,000, 40,000 will come from the Middle East and South Asia, where the origins of the crisis have been most pronounced. An additional 35,000 will come from Africa, 12,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and 5,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, the official said.

The administration did not release a country-specific breakdown. The total includes 14,000 unallocated slots that can be given to refugees from any region once Congress is notified.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the numbers before an official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State John Kerry had previously suggested that the U.S. target would climb to 100,000 in the coming year, but that the figure was a floor, not a ceiling. He briefed lawmakers on the revised figure on Tuesday.

The 110,000 goal covers a 12-month period that starts next month. In the 12 months ending Sept. 30, the U.S. goal was 85,000, and in the three years before that, the target was 70,000 per year.

The White House has tried to emphasize that the refugee program is safe and doesn't pose a major threat to national security. That concern was heightened last year after terrorist attacks in European cities - including some connected to people who had spent time in Syria.

Officials said that potential refugees would continue to be subject a rigorous screening process that typically lasts more than a year and involves both in-person interviews and examination of biographical and biometric information.

The announcement comes two weeks after the U.S. announced it had met President Barack Obama's goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees despite early skepticism that it would reach its goal. Millions of Syrians have been displaced by a civil war that has killed roughly half a million people.

Republican governors have pushed back vehemently and tried to refuse to let them into their states, leading to a clash with the administration, which has maintained that states can't legally bar refugees who otherwise meet the criteria.

The U.S. has tried to encourage other countries, too, to increase their contribution to alleviating the refugee crisis. The official said increasing the U.S. target this year reflected that strategy and Obama's belief that all nations need to do more to help the neediest.

As part of that effort, Obama plans to host a summit on refugee issues with world leaders next week during the U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York. The White House said the summit would spotlight the need to increase money for aid agencies, resettle more refugees and provide education and job assistance.

The refugee crisis has become a major political issue in Europe, where countries have been inundated by migrants after harrowing journeys that have killed scores. Concerns about refugees have played into the broader debate about immigration in Europe and were a major factor in Britain's recent vote to leave the European Union.

The U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, said Tuesday that Europe needed to boost its efforts to take in people from places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In an Associated Press interview, he called it "one of the great challenges" of the future.

"There's a time now to have this rational discussion," he said.

Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.</s>WASHINGTON -- The United States will strive to take in 110,000 refugees from around the world in the coming year, the White House said Wednesday, in what would be a nearly 30 percent increase from the 85,000 allowed in over the previous year.

The increase reflects continuing concern about the refugee crisis stemming from Syria's civil war, and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet it's still far short of what advocacy groups say is needed to address an unprecedented crisis that saw some 1 million people pour into Europe last year.

Of the 110,000, 40,000 will come from the Middle East and South Asia, where the origins of the crisis have been most pronounced. An additional 35,000 will come from Africa, 12,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and 5,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

The administration did not release a country-specific breakdown. The total includes 14,000 unallocated slots that can be given to refugees from any region once Congress is notified.

Secretary of State John Kerry had previously suggested that the U.S. target would climb to 100,000 in the coming year but that the figure was a floor, not a ceiling. He briefed lawmakers on the revised figure Tuesday.

The 110,000 goal covers a 12-month period that starts next month. In the 12 months ending Sept. 30, the U.S. goal was 85,000, and in the three years before that, the target was 70,000 per year.

The White House has tried to emphasize that the refugee program is safe and doesn't pose a major threat to national security. That concern was heightened last year after terrorist attacks in European cities, including some connected to people who had spent time in Syria.

Officials said potential refugees would continue to be subject to a rigorous screening process that typically lasts more than a year and involves in-person interviews, and examination of biographical and biometric information.

The announcement came two weeks after the U.S. said it had met President Barack Obama's goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees despite early skepticism that it would reach its goal. Millions of Syrians have been displaced by a civil war that has killed roughly 500,000 people.

Republican governors have pushed back vehemently and tried to refuse to let the refugees into their states, leading to a clash with the administration, which has maintained that states can't legally bar refugees who otherwise meet the criteria for entry.

The U.S. has tried to encourage other countries, too, to increase their contributions to alleviating the refugee crisis. The official said increasing the U.S. target this year reflected that strategy and Obama's belief that all nations need to do more to help the neediest.

As part of that effort, Obama plans to host a summit on refugee issues with world leaders next week during the U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York. The White House said the summit would spotlight the need to increase money for aid agencies, resettle more refugees, and provide education and job assistance.

The refugee crisis has become a major political issue in Europe, where countries have been inundated by migrants after harrowing journeys that have killed scores. Concerns about refugees have played into the broader debate about immigration in Europe and were a major factor in Britain's recent vote to leave the European Union.

The U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, said Tuesday that while the U.S. is "by far the largest donor government to refugee programs worldwide," more needs to be done. In an interview, he said the U.N. was discussing those needs with the U.S. "all the time."

The country that is sending the most refugees to the U.S. at the moment is not Syria or any other Middle Eastern country, but Burma.

The Southeast Asian nation, also known as Myanmar, sent 18,386 refugees to the United States in 2015, more than 26 percent of the total and surpassing Iraq, the previous leader that last year sent 12,676 refugees. Burma sent nearly 4,000 more refugees than it had in 2014, according to an analysis from the Migration Policy Institute.

The primary cause for the exodus from Burma is long-standing ethnic conflicts in the eastern part of the country where tens of thousands of ethnic Karen and Karenni have fled persecution from the former military regime that ran the country for a half-century. Most of them ended up in refugee camps in Thailand and have been resettled in countries around the world, including the United States.

The ethnic conflicts were on the agenda Wednesday when Obama met with Burma's state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is in Washington for a two-day visit.

"They've been there for generations, and for some all they've ever known are the refugee camps," said Derek Mitchell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Burma from 2012 until earlier this year. "This is an ethnic conflict that is going on 70 years and drives this country."

Data for fiscal 2016 is not yet complete, but a report last month from the Pew Research Center showed Burma narrowly edging out Congo for the most refugees to the United States. Both countries had sent more than 10,000 refugees through early August, with Syria ranking third with more than 8,500.

Kathleen Newland, co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute, said the large numbers from Burma and Congo are to some degree vestiges of U.S. policy after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when lawmakers halted refugees from countries with links to terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.

"One of the things that the government did was to look around the world for refugees from non-al-Qaida-linked countries," she said. She added that she expects the numbers from Burma to decline in coming years as the crisis in the Thai camps eases and U.S. commitments shift elsewhere, such as to Syria.

Human-rights advocates said the plight of Burma's refugees is a prime reason the Obama administration should resist lifting the national emergency designation established by executive order in 1997 that allows the United States to restrict companies from doing business with specific entities in that country. Obama said Wednesday that the U.S. is prepared to lift sanctions "soon" to help boost investment in the country of 53 million people.

"It is a state of emergency when it comes to humanitarian issues," said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. He said, "15,000 refugees are resettled in the U.S. every year. It's a leading source of refugee resettlement. Those are spots we can't give to Syrians or Iraqis."

Information for this article was contributed by Josh Lederman, Jamey Keaten and Kevin Freking of The Associated Press; and by David Nakamura of The Washington Post.</s>The United States will strive to take in 110,000 refugees from around the world in the coming year, a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday, in what would be a nearly 30 per cent increase from the 85,000 allowed in over the previous year.

Whether that goal is met is largely contingent on whether Hillary Clinton is elected president in November. That number is about as large as the population of Billings, Montana or Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The increase reflects continuing concern about the refugee crisis stemming from Syria's civil war and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet it's still far short of what advocacy groups say is needed to address an unprecedented crisis that saw some 1 million people pour into Europe alone last year.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the numbers before an official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State John Kerry had previously suggested that the U.S. target would climb to 100,000 in the coming year, but that the figure was a floor, not a ceiling. He briefed lawmakers on the revised figure on Tuesday.

The 110,000 goal covers a 12-month period that starts next month. In the 12 months ending September 30, the U.S. goal was 85,000, and in the three years before that, the target was 70,000 per year.

The White House has tried to emphasize that the refugee program is safe and doesn't pose a major threat to national security. That concern was heightened last year after terrorist attacks in European cities - including some connected to people who had spent time in Syria.

Officials said that potential refugees would continue to be subject to a rigorous screening process that typically lasts more than a year and involves both in-person interviews and examination of biographical and biometric information.

The announcement comes two weeks after the U.S. announced it had met President Barack Obama's goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees despite early skepticism that it would reach its goal. Millions of Syrians have been displaced by a civil war that has killed roughly half a million people.

Republican governors have pushed back vehemently and tried to refuse to let them into their states, leading to a clash with the administration, which has maintained that states can't legally bar refugees who otherwise meet the criteria.

The administration did not release a breakdown of how many refugees would be accepted from specific countries in the coming year.

The U.S. has tried to encourage other countries, too, to increase their contribution to alleviating the refugee crisis. The official said increasing the U.S. target this year reflected that strategy and Obama's belief that all nations need to do more to help the neediest.

As part of that effort, Obama plans to host a summit on refugee issues with world leaders next week during the U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York.

The refugee crisis has become a major political issue in Europe, where countries have been inundated by migrants after harrowing journeys that have killed scores. Concerns about refugees have played into the broader debate about immigration in Europe and were a major factor in Britain's recent vote to leave the European Union.

The U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, said Tuesday that Europe needed to boost its efforts to take in people from places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In an Associated Press interview, he called it 'one of the great challenges' of the future.

'There's a time now to have this rational discussion,' he said.</s>The White House is planning to increase the number of refugees accepted into the United States from around the world to at least 110,000 in 2017, a senior administration official told CNN.

Secretary of State John Kerry briefed Congress on Tuesday about the administration's decision and has stated over the past year that the United States would seek to welcome 100,000 refugees in 2017 -- and if possible, would accept more.

The increase -- from 70,000 during 2013-2015 to 85,000 in 2016 to the plan of 110,000 in 2017 -- is more than a 57% increase in refugee arrivals since 2015 and consistent with the administration's belief that all countries should do more to help vulnerable people.

The United States' refugee policy has been a top campaign issue in the 2016 election. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made waves last December when he proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims immigrating to the United States.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, has said that she would like to see the number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States increase from the Obama administration's goal of 10,000 a year to 65,000 refugees.</s>After a late-summer surge, the Obama administration has met its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016. The Republican House Freedom Caucus considers that 10,000 too many, preferring to stop resettling Syrians until the administration can “assure no terrorists or individuals with radical sympathies or views will be admitted.”

Such fears are largely misplaced. Few, if any, classes of travelers to the U.S. face greater scrutiny. Nevertheless, the process for admitting refugees from Syria can be tightened. And at least as important, the process of integrating them into American life can be improved.

Three-quarters have come via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which selected them from among the most vulnerable people languishing in refugee camps. Indeed, four-fifths of this year’s arrivals have been women and children; nearly half are under 18. That said, the possibility remains that some of the rest might be Islamic State recruits such as those who have blended into the refugee masses flowing toward Europe.

But consider the monthslong gauntlet they would have had to run — including face-to-face interviews with officers from the Department of Homeland Security, medical exams, screening through intelligence databases, and case referrals back in Washington. A terrorist leader looking to infiltrate operatives into the U.S. could no doubt find easier ways.

No screening process is foolproof, of course — especially, as FBI Director James Comey has pointed out, when you’re dealing with people fleeing a war zone. Homeland Security needs more Arabic speakers to conduct interviews, and once refugees have arrived in the U.S., law enforcement and intelligence agencies could look harder for signs of radicalization and other trouble.

It’s also essential that the U.S. ensure that all the newcomers are successfully integrated, especially with the nation increasingly polarized by their arrival.

The U.S. planned to resettle 85,000 refugees from around the world this fiscal year, up from 70,000 the previous year; Secretary of State John Kerry just announced that next year, the U.S. proposes to admit 110,000. But funding for refugee assistance hasn’t kept up, in part because it’s based on past admissions. Considering the traumas Syrians have experienced, especially the children, more support is needed for mental health care and remedial education. The State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services should begin collecting comprehensive data about which strategies and programs work best.

The benefits of such efforts flow both ways: Refugees go to the considerable strain of moving to the U.S. because they seek opportunities to work hard and improve their lives.

Thus, they can be a boon to their new communities — creating jobs, stabilizing shrinking school districts, revitalizing blighted neighborhoods and helping communities thrive.

On the other hand, consider the costs of denying entry to any more Syrian refugees. It would feed Islamic State’s narrative that the U.S. is anti-Muslim and weaken America’s global leadership. Set next to the nearly half-million Syrian refugees the United Nations says need to be resettled over the next three years, 10,000 is a pretty modest figure. Set against the more than 3 million refugees the U.S. has admitted since 1975, it seems very small indeed.
The Obama administration plans on increasing refugees admitted to the United States to 110,000.