Aug 12 2013

Muftah: United States Agrees to Permanently Resettle 2,000 Syrian Refugees

Newswire | Published 12 Aug 2013, 1:40 pm | Comments Off on Muftah: United States Agrees to Permanently Resettle 2,000 Syrian Refugees -

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The White House announced that 2,000 Syrian refugees will be permitted to permanently resettle in America as conditions continue to worsen in the war-torn country.

According to the UN’s latest statistics, the two and a half year conflict has killed over 100,000 and will have displaced about 3.5 million by the end of 2013.

While the new program will only take a very small portion of Syrian refugees, it marks an important shift in policy.

Typically, the United States only accepts refugees after a conflict has continued for five years or longer. But Syria, which once hosted a large number of refugees fleeing the Iraq War, has itself produced one of the largest refugee populations, including Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, and other twice-over refugees fleeing the country.

Among those to be resettled are the most vulnerable – women, children, and the ill – as well as those least likely to return to Syria after the conflict ends.

Each refugee will be subject to strict security vetting before being allowed to enter the United States

“Referrals will come within the next four months. We will need to interview people and perform security and medical checks,” said Kelly Clements, the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

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