The White House said it was significantly "scaling up" its efforts to resettle Syria refugees
President Barack
Obama has called for the US to prepare to accept "at least" 10,000
Syrian refugees next year, according to a White House spokesman.
That
number is significantly higher than the 1,500 Syrians that have been
permitted to re-settle in the US since the start of the conflict.
The 10,000 figure is still much lower than the 340,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Europe this year.
Since the beginning of the conflict the US has given $4bn ($2.6bn) in aid.
The
increase in accepting refugees displays a "significant scaling up" of
US commitment to accept people from conflict zones and help provide for
their needs," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
US
Congress would have to to make a "significant financial commitment" in
order to allow for additional 10,000 refugees to the US, Mr Earnest
said.
Thousands of people have sought haven in Europe in
recent months, putting pressure on governments to accept more refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) has registered four million Syrians as refugees, and it has
asked governments around the world to resettle 130,000 Syrian refugees
by the end of 2016.
In May, 14 US Senators penned a letter to
President Barack Obama asking him to allow 65,000 Syrian refugees to
settle inside the US.
Humanitarian
aid money remains the most effective way to fight the problem for the
US, Mr Earnest said, and it is "not feasible" for millions of Syrians to
come to the country.
"We know the scale of this problem, it's significant," he said.
Asked
at a press briefing why the US was not accepting as many refugees as
the UK, as a larger country, Mr Earnest said the US wants to meet the
"most urgent, immediate needs" of migrants like basic medical care,
food, water and shelter.
The security screening migrants must go
through when arriving in the US can take 12 to 18 months, and the
"safety and security of the US homeland" comes first, he said.
There
have been concerns expressed that terrorists could exploit the refugee
system to enter the country and carry out an attack, but experts say
that fear is overblown.
Title : US plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees next year
Description : The White House said it was significantly "scaling up...
