John Kerry says US will accept 100,000 refugees in 2017
The announcement comes as the worldwide crisis continues
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Sunday that the US would be upping their response to the worldwide refugee crisis over the next two years.
The US will accept 85,000 refugees in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017, Mr Kerry announced during a Berlin news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The Associated Press reported that Mr Kerry was asked why the US couldn’t bring in more refugees as the crisis expands, as he expressed concern over the lack of funds available to keep up adequate screening: "We're doing what we know we can manage immediately.”
American officials reportedly said that the refugees would come from the war-torn Syria and areas from Africa
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama urged his administration to ante up the number of refugees admitted into the states. Both Democrats and Republicans urged a more resilient response from the US government as millions of people flee violence in Syria.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies