U.S. plans to accept more refugees, but security rules will limit number By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.24.15 Word Count 909 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (center) meets with refugees fleeing Syria at Villa Borsig in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 20, 2015. Photo: AP/Evan Vucci, Pool BERLIN, Germany Scrambling to address a growing Syrian refugee crisis, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Sunday that the United States would significantly increase the number of worldwide migrants it takes in over the next two years. While substantial, the increase is not nearly as large as many activists and former officials have urged. The United States will accept 85,000 refugees from around the world next year, up from 70,000, and that total would rise to 100,000 in 2017. Kerry made the announcement during a news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier after the two discussed the mass migration of Syrians fleeing their civil war.
Many From Syria, Some From Africa Many, though not all, of the additional refugees would be Syrian, American officials have said. Others would come from strife-torn areas of Africa. The White House had previously announced it intended to take in 10,000 additional Syrian refugees over the next year. Asked why the United States could not take more, Kerry cited screening requirements since Sept. 11, 2001, and a lack of money made available by Congress. "We're doing what we know we can manage immediately," he said, adding that the U.S. cannot take shortcuts on security checks. Lawmakers Fear Influx Of Extremists U.S. lawmakers immediately expressed concerns about the wave of new arrivals. The Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations "have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States," Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Bob Goodlatte said in a statement. "Now the Obama administration wants to bring in an additional 10,000 Syrians without a concrete and foolproof plan to ensure that terrorists will not be able to enter the country." "The administration has essentially given the American people a 'trust me.' That isn't good enough," the two Republican lawmakers said. Conditions in Syria have been growing increasingly dire as the civil war grinds on. As many as 9 million people have been displaced, including more than 4 million who have fled the country. Germany Will Take Up To A Million Migrants A letter made public last week and signed by several former Obama administration officials urged the U.S. government to accept 100,000 Syrian migrants, and to put in place special rules to speed the resettlement process. Germany says it will accept as many as a million Syrians this year. "Current (American) efforts are not adequate," according to the letter, signed by Michelle Flournoy, a former senior U.S. defense official, and Harold Koh, the former State Department legal adviser. "Humanitarian aid has fallen short in the face of unspeakable suffering." Syrian migrants to the U.S. would be referred by the U.N. refugee agency, screened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and resettled around the country.
"This step is in keeping with America's best tradition as a land of second chances and a beacon of hope," Kerry said. Syrians Grow More Hopeless Earlier in the day, he and Steinmeier had met with a group of Syrian refugees. The Syrians said the uptick in migration five years into the civil war was being driven by a collapse of hope that the situation ever will improve. "I personally came here in search of a future," a Syrian woman said. She said her 5-year-old daughter had come to Germany with her but her two other children were still in Syria with her parents. She hopes they all can leave, too. Congressional approval is not required for the Obama administration to expand resettlement slots. However, Congress would have to come up with and approve the money needed to pay for the additional effort. Intelligence officials and Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns that Islamic State fighters could slip into the United States posing as migrants. In 2011, two Kentucky residents who had been resettled as Iraqi refugees were accused of being al-qaida members. They were convicted of terrorism charges after their fingerprints were linked to roadside bombs in Iraq. Their case led to new steps to screen refugees, a process that has been criticized as slow and bureaucratic. U.S. Sees Need To Replace Syria's Leader So far the United States has taken in only 1,500 Syrians since the start of the war. Even if as many as 30,000 more were admitted over the next two years, that number would pale in comparison to the hundreds of thousands that Germany is expected to accept. In Washington, Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a television interview that the U.S. "has to do more." She said she would "like to see us move from what is a good start with 10,000 to 65,000 and begin immediately to put into place the mechanisms for vetting the people we would take in." Clinton added that the goal should be to identify and prioritize those who are most at risk. Kerry said the migrant crisis must ultimately be solved by ending Syria's civil war and replacing President Bashar Assad. On that score, Kerry made it clear on Saturday that the U.S. was willing to discuss the terms of Assad's exit with Russia, which is backing the Assad government. The Russians have brought in fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles that could threaten American plans to remove Assad, much to the dismay of American officials.
On Sunday, Kerry said that Russian support for the Syrian regime would likely make the conflict worse and would make it harder to replace Assad.
Quiz 1 How does the article develop its central idea? It begins with a key announcement then discusses the controversies and conditions related to that announcement. It presents a series of first-person perspectives on an international crisis and then connects those personal stories to a policy decision. It provides an in-depth analysis of the causes leading up to an international crisis then concludes with an announcement to address that crisis. It states a key announcement then analyzes the benefits and disadvantages that will likely result from that announcement. 2 All of the following excerpts present ideas that should be included in a summary EXCEPT: The U.S. will accept 85,000 refugees from around the world next year, up from 70,000, and that total would rise to 100,000 in 2017. U.S. lawmakers immediately expressed concerns about the wave of new arrivals. "Current (American) efforts are not adequate," according to the letter, signed by Michelle Flournoy, a former senior U.S. defense official, and Harold Koh, the former State Department legal adviser. On Sunday, Kerry said that Russian support for the Syrian regime would likely make the conflict worse and would make it harder to replace Assad. 3 Based on information in the section "Lawmakers Fear Influx Of Extremists," which of the following might convince lawmakers to accept more refugees? a specific plan to fund the refugees' resettlement into the U.S. a specific plan to prevent terrorists from entering the U.S. by posing as refugees an official announcement from the Obama administration that the U.S. is willing to accept more refugees conditions in Syria that are so dangerous that at least 4 million people have left the country
4 All of the following facts reveal that the crisis in Syria is internationally significant EXCEPT: German and U.S. officials have met to discuss the migration of Syrian refugees into their countries. The Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations based outside of the U.S. reportedly planned to use the crisis to enter the U.S. Russia supports President Assad's government in Syria, while the U.S. plans to remove Assad. The Obama administration plans to accept more refugees, but Congress has the power to withhold funding.
Answer Key 1 How does the article develop its central idea? It begins with a key announcement then discusses the controversies and conditions related to that announcement. It presents a series of first-person perspectives on an international crisis and then connects those personal stories to a policy decision. It provides an in-depth analysis of the causes leading up to an international crisis then concludes with an announcement to address that crisis. It states a key announcement then analyzes the benefits and disadvantages that will likely result from that announcement. 2 All of the following excerpts present ideas that should be included in a summary EXCEPT: The U.S. will accept 85,000 refugees from around the world next year, up from 70,000, and that total would rise to 100,000 in 2017. U.S. lawmakers immediately expressed concerns about the wave of new arrivals. "Current (American) efforts are not adequate," according to the letter, signed by Michelle Flournoy, a former senior U.S. defense official, and Harold Koh, the former State Department legal adviser. On Sunday, Kerry said that Russian support for the Syrian regime would likely make the conflict worse and would make it harder to replace Assad. 3 Based on information in the section "Lawmakers Fear Influx Of Extremists," which of the following might convince lawmakers to accept more refugees? a specific plan to fund the refugees' resettlement into the U.S. a specific plan to prevent terrorists from entering the U.S. by posing as refugees an official announcement from the Obama administration that the U.S. is willing to accept more refugees conditions in Syria that are so dangerous that at least 4 million people have left the country
4 All of the following facts reveal that the crisis in Syria is internationally significant EXCEPT: German and U.S. officials have met to discuss the migration of Syrian refugees into their countries. The Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations based outside of the U.S. reportedly planned to use the crisis to enter the U.S. Russia supports President Assad's government in Syria, while the U.S. plans to remove Assad. The Obama administration plans to accept more refugees, but Congress has the power to withhold funding.