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September 21, 2015

Kerry: U.S. to Resettle 15,000 More Refugees Next Year 
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The United States has vowed to take in more refugees from around the
world. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would take
in a total of 100,000 refugees in 2017.

John Kerry: "I'm pleased to announce today that the United States will
significantly increase our numbers for refugee resettlement in the
course of this next year and the year after. Last year, I think we were
at 70,000. We are now going to go up to 85,000, with at least, and I
underscore the 'at least' — it is not a ceiling, it's a floor of
10,000 over the next year from Syria specifically, even as we also
receive more refugees from other areas. And in the next fiscal year,
we'll target 100,000."

Kerry's announcement still falls far short of calls from human rights
groups to accept 100,000 refugees from Syria alone next year. The United
States has taken in only about 1,600 Syrian refugees since the conflict
began in 2011.

 

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