Off the wire
• Argentina aims at title at FIBA Americas Championship  • Square dancing remains controversial despite government regulation  • Chinese TMT firms launch record IPOs: PwC  • New Zealand envoy appointed to lead WTO agriculture talks  • Indian stocks open higher  • Roundup: Australia to permanently take 12,000 Syrian refugees, bomb IS in Syria  • Apartment boom drives 20 percent of Australia's economic growth, Chinese big factor  • Roundup: S. Korea's job growth declines to four-month low  • Unbeaten Mexico, Argentina reach semis at FIBA Americas Championship  • Inaction on climate change could derail Pacific Islands Forum: Australian opposition  
You are here: 　 Home

Spotlight: U.S. aware of "urgency" in refugee crisis, yet far falls short of action

Xinhua, September 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The U.S. government said Tuesday that it is aware of the urgency of the refugee crisis in Europe. However, it has so far fell short of actions to deal with the problem.

"Everyone is well aware of the sense of urgency," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a daily briefing with reporters.

The Obama administration has come under sharp criticism from refugee and immigrant advocates for a laggardly response and not doing enough to deal with the crisis caused by refugees running out of violent Syria and other countries.

Earnest claimed that a "range of approaches" was being studied. However, when being asked by reporters for opening doors to more Syrians and others, Earnest answered: "There is a process for doing this."

That process, as it currently stands, is slow, the Associated Press reported in an article. Refugees wait around three years to find out if they can move to the U.S., a proof that Washington wouldn't be able to offer quick assistance.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has recommended 17,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. for resettlement.

However, since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, Washington has only accepted around 1,500 Syrian refugees.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) criticized the U.S. response as "fumbling and feeble."

IRC head David Miliband said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday that the U.S. should take 65,000 Syrian refugees "to maintain its leadership position in refugee resettlement."

When being asked if the (Barack) Obama administration felt responsible to share its European allies' refugee burden, Earnest did not answer it directly but stressed that the U.S. has provided 4 billion U.S. dollars in humanitarian assistance with ongoing diplomatic work to resolve Syria's conflict "peacefully."

The diplomacy "appears nowhere near ending violence" that has already tortured the country for four years, the Associated Press commented.

As the one of the reasons not taking more refugees in, the Obama administration is concerned that militants from Islamic State or al-Qaida might slip into the country as refugees, according to reports.

Mark Toner, U.S. State Department spokesman said last week, "As compelling as it is, the situation of these refugees, our first priority is to protect the national security of the United States, to protect U.S. citizens." Endi