Religious groups want U.S. to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees

[rug]

Reuters
By Curtis Skinner
2 hours ago

(Reuters) - Religious groups in the United States have urged the White House to step up its response to the Syrian refugee crisis, with one on Tuesday calling Washington's efforts so far "disappointing."

Church World Service, a global humanitarian organization that represents 37 Christian denominations, has called on the government to take in 100,000 Syrians over the next year, said Jen Smyers, who works on the group's immigration and refugee program.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the Jewish refugee assistance agency HIAS along with secular groups have also backed that figure.

Since Syria's war broke out in 2011, Washington has accepted 1,500 refugees, most of them this year, and the State Department expects 300 more by October. Four million people have fled the country since the fighting began, according to U.N. estimates.

http://news.yahoo.com/religious-groups-want-u-accept-100-000-syrian-211622478.html

Haven't heard from David Silverman yet.

[Purveyor]

1. uh nope. eom

[rug]

2. You think the U.S. should not give them asylum?

[silverweb]

3. We're largely responsible for destabilizing the region.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]We certainly should be taking in more refugees instead of leaving them all to the rest of the world.

And make Halliburton pay for their needs!!

[rug]

4. Agreed.

(except for the "we" part. I blame the government.)

[silverweb]

5. I don't like the "we" part, either.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]But it is a fact that our taxes paid for and our elected representatives perpetrated this disaster, however disapproving we were.

Thus, "we" is - whether we like it or not - unfortunately accurate.

Yes, it infuriates me, too.

[bvf]

6. They're welcome to my two free bedrooms for as long as I'm here.

Still waiting for the 185+ parishes, etc. in my area to weigh in.

Anyone else willing to say the same, rug?

[Jim__]

7. U.S. to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees: White House

It's a start anyway.

From Reuters:

President Barack Obama has directed his administration to prepare to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, the White House said on Thursday.

It is the first specific commitment the United States has made toward increasing its acceptance of refugees from the war-torn country.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States has taken in 1,500 refugees, with 300 more expected to be cleared by October.

But refugee advocates and some members of Congress said taking in an additional 10,000 refugees did not go far enough toward addressing the humanitarian crisis triggered by the war, which has prompted a massive refugee influx into Europe.

...

[rug]

8. That's a significnt start, a couple thousand families.