US President Barack Obama has asked his administration to open the door to at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year, the White House said on Thursday.
"The president has directed his team to scale up that number next year and he's informed his team that he would like them to accept, at least make preparations to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
The Obama administration has come under sharp criticism from refugee and immigrant advocates for a laggardly response and not doing enough to deal with the crisis caused by refugees escaping conflict Syria and other countries.
