President Barack Obama said on Thursday he expected the
United States would meet a goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees
before the end of the year despite delays and opposition from critics
concerned about security implications.
As Europe grappled with Syrians fleeing the country’s civil
war last autumn, Obama promised to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees by the
end of fiscal year 2016. But the State Department reported on March 31,
halfway into the fiscal year, that only 1,285 Syrians had been admitted
into the United States.
"We're going to keep on pushing," Obama said when asked on Thursday whether the goal would be achieved.
Obama's promise has come under fire from Republicans
concerned that violent militants could come into the United States
posing as refugees.
More than 30 governors have tried to block refugees from
their states, but courts and attorneys general have said it is up to the
federal government to screen refugees and settle them.
The president said his administration wanted to assure the
public the refugees were being properly screened and vetted. Congress
may put up roadblocks to the process, he said.
"Administratively I think now we have the process to speed
it up," he told a news conference with student journalists at the White
House.
"Our goal is to continue to try to make the case to Congress
and the American people (that) this is the right thing to do and we
believe that we can hit those marks before the end of the year."
Washington has offered refuge to far fewer of the millions fleeing
war in Syria and Iraq than many of its closest allies in Europe and the
Middle East.The agency responsible for processing and admitting refugees, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is under added pressure to make sure none of those admitted have ties to violent extremists.
Requirements for additional screening measures were passed following the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris after Obama had laid out his goal of admitting 10,000 Syrians.
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