Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband Calls On The United States To Take More Syrian Refugees
Critics put more pressure on the United States to help Europe in providing sanctuary for Syrians seeking refuge overseas after experiencing chaos and war in their hometown.
International Rescue Committee head and former British foreign secretary David Miliband challenges U.S. officials to show "the kind of leadership America has shown on these kind of issues" in the past.
"The United States has always been a leader in refugee resettlement but 1,500 people over four years is such a miniscule contribution to tackling the human side of this problem," Miliband says, as stated in a report by Yahoo on Sunday.
In an interview with Reuters, State Department spokesman John Kirby says that the US is not showing signs of allowing more immigrants to enter the country, but will take part in securing the safety of Syrian refugees.
"There is a significant vetting process here for folks from Syria that we have to follow," Kirby says.
Also, the US wants to ensure that no militants from Islamic State or al Qaeda will enter the country as refugees.
Meanwhile, an official says that Washington's reputation will be problematic after the state decides to cater only a small number of refugees compared to European countries.
U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says that "the United States had not put a quota on the number of refugees it would accept."
She adds that the UNHCR will continue to submit cases concerning those who will be considered for resettlement in the US after the submission of around 16,300 refugees.
On the other hand, Presidential candidate John Kasich thinks the US should play a better role in providing sanctuary for the refugees, but considers the situation not a primary Washington matter.
"I think we do have a responsibility in terms of taking some more folks in, making sure they assimilate," Kasich said in ABC's "This Week."
"This is fundamentally an issue Europe has to come to grips with. We can provide some humanitarian aid to them."
