Obama administration has been criticized for moving too slowly to respond to the five-year crisis in Syria, amid opposition to refugees from Republicans

The United States said it would welcome its 10,000th Syrian refugee of this fiscal year on Monday, meeting Barack Obama’s target more than a month ahead of schedule.



The US has traditionally been a generous host for refugees but has been criticized by activists for moving too slowly to respond to the Syrian crisis, which has dragged on for more than five years.

The US president sought a sixfold increase in the number of Syrian refugees provided safe haven in the United States. After a slow start, the administration was able to hit the goal just a few weeks before Obama convenes a summit on refugees during the 71st session of the United Nations general assembly.

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Obama would have been hard-pressed to make the case for other countries to do more with the US failing to reach a goal that amounts to only about 2%of the 480,000 Syrian refugees in need of resettlement. Millions more Syrians have fled to neighboring states such as Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and to countries in Europe since the civil war broke out in 2011.

“Our 10,000th Syrian refugee will arrive this afternoon,” the national security adviser, Susan Rice, said in a statement, adding that the administration had met the goal “more than a month ahead of schedule”.

Rice said the number represented a “sixfold increase from the prior year”, and called it “a meaningful step that we hope to build upon”.

She noted that refugee admissions represented only “a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region”.

“On behalf of the president and his administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world.”

Rice said the summit in New York City will highlight the contributions the US and other nations have made to help refugees. She said the US has committed to working with the international community to increase funding for humanitarian assistance and double the number of refugees afforded the opportunity to resettle.

The increase in Syrian refugees also comes at a time of heightened national security concerns following extremist attacks in the US and abroad. The Obama administration has said refugees fleeing war and persecution are the most scrutinized of all immigrants who come into the US. The process typically takes 12 months to 18 months and includes in-person interviews and a review of biographical and biometric information.

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Officers with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services travel to the country to which the refugees have fled to interview them. Upon completion of security and medical screening, the homeland security officer may approve the refugee’s application for US resettlement. After approval, arrangements are made to match the refugee with a voluntary agency in the US that specializes in helping them find a new home and employment.

The White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, said the United States will also seek to admit about 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year that begins on 1 October.

“I think the president would like to see a ramping up of those efforts, but I think the president is also realistic about how quickly that can happen,” Earnest said.



Overall, the US will admit at least 85,000 refugees over the year, Rice said, mentioning that others would come from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia.

The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.