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John Kerry says US will accept 100,000 refugees in 2017

The announcement comes as the worldwide crisis continues

Justin Carissimo
Monday 21 September 2015 18:29 BST
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Refugees cross the border from Serbia into Szeged, Hungary.
Refugees cross the border from Serbia into Szeged, Hungary.

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.

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