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. 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. The White House has tried to emphasize that the refugee program is safe and doesn't pose a major threat to national security. 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. 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.
The Obama administration plans on increasing refugees admitted to the United States to 110,000.