The Fix

By Janell Ross September 11

The Syrian refugee crisisis big, big newsaround the world. And on
Thursday, it became a reality in the United States, as the White House
announced a decision to acceptup to 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next
fiscal year.
As the White House acts, precisely what should be done for Syria's
refugees has also become an issue on the 2016 campaign trail, with
Democratic White House contenders Hillary Clinton and former
Maryland governor Martin O'Malley as well as Republican Sen. Lindsey
Graham (S.C.) saying this week that the United States should accept
many more Syrian refugees, CBS News reported.
Also on the GOP side, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and
Carly Fiorina urged various types of caution but seemed to essentially
agree. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and (as of Thursday) Donald Trump
described the situation as a European matter or one that Europe can
handle. And both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Wisconsin Gov.
Scott Walker (R)offered answers that were either unclear
ornoncommittal.
So what have the at least 9 million Syrians in need of safe shelter got to do

with us?
Firstalittlecontext
Syria's refugees are part of theroughly 10.5 million people worldwide
forced to flee their homes as a result of conditions in their home country.
It's also particularly important to note that each year, children comprise a
a large share --46 percentin 2012 -- of the world's refugee population.
So while images of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian Kurd who drowned
off the Turkish coast while attempting to flee with his Syrian family,have
gripped the world,there are quite literally millions ofchildren caught in
similarly difficult circumstances.
[Adesperaterefugeefamily.Acapsizedboatanda3yearoldboydead
onabeachinTurkey]
Since armed conflict between the government and various opposition
factions began in Syria in 2011, an estimated 9 million Syrians have
streamed out of their homes, according to the State Department. About
6.5 million of these individuals still live somewhere inside of Syria, and at
least 2.5 million people have left. Most have either entered another
country or been caught attempting to do so and placed in temporary
refugee housing -- often little more than a tent city.
Refugees who manage to get that far typically register with the United

Nations and apply for permanent resettlement. After a wait of what is

ideally up to 24 months but sometimes far longer, refugees receive an
invitation to resettle in a third country. Once there, theybecome what are
essentially invited guests, eligible for work visas and legal employment
likely for the first time since leaving their home country.
The willingness of every country around the world to permanently accept
and assist refugees can help to reduce the number of people living in
conditions unfit for human beings. It also limits the share who feel
compelled to perform illegal work, those who are vulnerable to all manner
of exploitation, and those who can be tempted to undertake perilous and
sometimes-deadly unauthorized border crossings.
Butmany states in the Persian Gulf region have yet to offer to
permanently resettle any Syrian refugees. By contrast, the U.S. admits
and permanently resettles more refugees than any other country in the
world each year, including more than 67,000 last year.
SohowmanySyrianrefugeeshastheUnitedStatesadmitted?
The short answer is not many.
So far this fiscal year,1,393 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the
United States, according to State Department data. The United States
plans to admit, "several hundred more" [Syrian] refugees before the end

of this month, for a total of 1,500-1,800 individuals this fiscal year, the
State Department told The Fix on Wednesday.
And then up to 10,000 more in the next fiscal year.
Here's what we know about previous years: Refugee resettlement data,
like many other federal measures, is recorded for each fiscal year -- the
period between Oct.1 and Sept.30. In fiscal year 2012, during which the
conflict in Syria was well underway, the United States admitted 31 Syrian
refugees. That was followed by a slight uptick to 36 in fiscal year 2013,
and a jump to 105 Syrian refugees in 2014.In fiscal year 2015 (which as
we noted is still ongoing): 1,393.
Here's a map depicting the areas of the United States in which these
individuals were settled.
So,whyhaven'twedonemore?Andshouldwe?
The size and scope of the Syrian refugee crisis has prompted countries
around the world to debate and in some cases boost the number of
refugees they will take in, oftenmany times over. On Thursday, President
Obama announced that the United States would join countries such as
Germany (where officials have discussed accepting up to 800,000), the
United Kingdom and France (which have each agreed to accept at least
20,000 Syrians)and others in doing just that.

The American commitment announced Thursday is not even close to

what Germany is considering, or the 65,000 number that one prominent
international aid grouphas pressed the United States to accept. But it's
certainly a big jump from recent years.
And the United States does have other commitments to refugees from
other countries. Here's a quick look at how many refugees (from around
the world) the United States has promised to consider and how many it
has accepted in recent years. That first figure is developed annually by the
president and Congress. The later depends heavily on the rate at which
federal officials can screen refugees seeking permanent resettlement to
assure that people who pose a security or health threat to the United
States are not admitted.
People can and will debate the obligation of human beings to assist one
another when in crisis. But the costs and impact on local communities
also rank among the issues that governments must consider.
In the United States, refugees are also eligible for public assistance and
health care for a limited period of time and can seek permanent residency
and citizenship over the course of several years. At the same time,
refugees typically arrive with little-to-absolutely-no money and almost
nothing in the way of personal belongings. Some must give up prominent
positions and highly paid careers in their home countries because their
credentials aren't considered valid in the new country. Others must adapt

to living in an apartment withelectricity and running water for the first

time.
[No,cellphonesarenotaluxuryforSyrianrefugees]
Still, lest anyone think that refugees welcomed to the United States enjoy
a life of luxury, consider reading thedisclaimer about life in the United
States posted on the State Department Web site for refugee applicants.

Janell Ross is a reporter for The Fix who writes about race, gender, immigration and
inequality.

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