US Department of State [to 16 January 2016]
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/index.htm
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01/13/16
Refugee Resettlement in the United States
Office of the Spokesperson; Washington, DC – Fact Sheet
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program embodies the United States’ values of compassion, generosity, and leadership in serving vulnerable populations. The United States has welcomed more than three million refugees since 1975, helping them build new lives in all 50 states. These refugees have added an immeasurable amount to the richness of American culture, contributed to our economic strength and honored our core values as a nation, engraved in our Statue of Liberty.
Refugees survive terrible ordeals: torture, upheaval, perilous journeys, and tremendous loss. They are persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Today, due to conflict and repression, there are nearly 20 million refugees in the world. For a small number of the most vulnerable of these refugees, the United States strives to provide a new start through refugee resettlement.
It is a tradition that exemplifies American leadership in humanitarian causes around the world, and makes our nation a beacon of hope. That is why Secretary Kerry was pleased to announce today that we will further expand the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to help vulnerable families and individuals from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, offering a safe and legal alternative to the dangerous and irregular journey many are currently taking in the hands of human smugglers.
We will collaborate with UNHCR and its NGO partners to identify persons in need of refugee protection – people targeted by criminal gangs, human rights defenders who have been targeted, and others. We also continue to explore additional options, including for those who may be at imminent risk of harm. Expanding resettlement opportunities is a key part of our broader response to the situation in the Northern Triangle, and the needs of refugees around the world.
The United States has always been a leader in humanitarian assistance and refugee resettlement. On resettlement, our admissions process is rigorous and deliberate, and we prioritize the need to safeguard national security and public safety, as we seek to fulfill our moral responsibility to help those in need. Today’s new commitment is yet another indication that the U.S. will continue to be a leader in helping to protect the world’s most vulnerable refugees through resettlement efforts, while ensuring the security of our nation is preserved.
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01/13/16
Remarks After Meeting With Refugees
Secretary of State John Kerry; Silver Spring, Maryland
Well, let me just say what a special experience it is for me to come to the refugee center. The refugees I met with come from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Burma, Eritrea, Congo, various countries. And they have escaped great violence. They’ve escaped a threat to their lives and their families. And they have come here looking for the possibility of a new life. Everybody has said that – they need and want a new life.
This young fellow here and this woman and her husband have just passed their citizenship exam. They’ve been here for a while now, about five years. And every one of these people has been through a very detailed screening. I think one person described six hours of a particular interview just to begin to become qualified. They come to America, they go to work. It is a requirement that they have to find a job, any job. And they go to work and they begin to build their lives again.
I’m particularly grateful to the folks here in the community who are contributing so much to the ability of these folks to go to work, to be able to find an apartment, and begin to become American. Everyone here wants to be an American and they want to contribute as good citizens to our country. That is, as President Obama said last night, the tradition on which our country has been built. It strengthens our nation, and I am impressed by the commitment of each and every person here.
And I want to express my gratitude to the International Rescue Committee, that does so much. People come here, they work all day to help other people. There is a huge network process, beginning in the country where these people went and sought refuge and became a refugee, all the way to the moment they arrive at Dulles Airport or at Baltimore and begin to try to find their new lives. This is something Americans should be very, very proud of. I know I am, and I feel very privileged to have shared the dreams and the hopes of each of the people who are here. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good to be with you.
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01/13/16
Remarks on the United States Foreign Policy Agenda for 2016
Secretary of State John Kerry; National Defense University; Washington, DC
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