Obama plans 30 percent increase in refugees. Why Dems and GOP are upset
The refugee plan angered some Republicans, who cite security and economic concerns. But some Democrats say the US should accommodate even more displaced people.
Syrian refugees Abdullah, left, Fatema, second from right, and their son Ayham, speak with Liese Klein, right, development and communications manager for Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services outside the agency's office in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 2. The family was diverted to Connecticut last year after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said they were not welcome in that state.
Pat Eaton-Robb/AP/File
The White House informed Congress Tuesday that it plans to accept 110,000 refugees into the US from around the world during the fiscal year that begins next month.
The 30-percent increase angered some Republicans while disappointing those who say the US should accommodate as many as 200,000 of the world鈥檚 displaced people, who number , according to estimates by the United Nations.
鈥� toward refugees but we also need to make sure that we use commonsense [sic],鈥� House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia, said in a statement. Representative Goodlatte accused President Obama of failing to think through the impact refugees will have on the American communities in which they resettle.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, said accommodating refugees will harm US security.
鈥淭errorists have announced that and have successfully done so multiples times in Europe over the last year,鈥� Senator Sessions said in a statement. 鈥淭hese asylum-seekers are overwhelmingly male who make the journey from hotbeds of terrorism to countries throughout Europe.鈥�
Mr. Obama鈥檚 refugee plan is expected to welcome , Politico reports 鈥� a group聽whose migration has been a topic of debate among US presidential candidates.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has called for a complete ban on immigration from Syria, and his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, halted resettlement of Syrians in his state late last year, joining who cited concerns the immigrant-vetting process might be inadequate to detect terrorists.
In February, a federal judge blocked Mr. Pence鈥檚 action, but and will argue Pence鈥檚 case Wednesday before the 7th Circuit Court in Chicago, as The Indianapolis Star reported.
But this anxiety over accepting people from regions scourged by the so-called Islamic State hasn鈥檛 been limited to Republicans. in the House of Representatives signed onto a measure last November that would halt resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq until the US overhauls its screening processes.
Regardless, the Obama administration set a goal to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria during the current fiscal year. The benchmark passed last month without much fanfare. While 56 percent of Democrats support the admission of Syrian refugees, only 18 percent of Republicans do, according to a Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll released in August.
Quoting from an 82-page report prepared for Congress by the departments of State, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, Politico reported that the White House plans to accept even more Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year.
鈥淲hile the vast majority of Syrians would prefer to return home when the conflict ends, it is clear that some remain extremely vulnerable in their countries of asylum and would benefit from resettlement,鈥� the report states, according to Politico.
Next week, Obama will host a 鈥淟eaders鈥� Summit on Refugees鈥� that aims to boost worldwide resettlement of refugees.聽
鈥� to other countries that they should increase the number they settle,鈥� Jennifer Quigley, an advocacy strategist with nonprofit Human Rights First, told The Wall Street Journal.
During the summit, Obama is expected to call on other countries to boost the number of refugees they accept, so advocates have called upon Obama, in turn, to increase America鈥檚 commitment and accept 200,000 people, Politico reported, noting that the US upped its refugee quota from 70,000 last year to 85,000 this year.
In 2015, 鈥� of the more than one million refugees that have entered the country 鈥� apply for political asylum, reports the BBC.
But funding for the US resettlement isn鈥檛 guaranteed, Ms. Quigley noted. The House and Senate indicated earlier this year that they might place an unprecedented cap on refugee resettlement spending.
鈥淐ongress could hinder the ability of the US to resettle refugees by limiting the amount of money going to the effort,鈥� Quigley said.