Secretary of State John Kerry says the US is committed to increasing the number of refugees it is willing to take in as United States allies in Europe struggle to accommodate tens of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
After closed-door congressional meetings Wednesday, Kerry said President Barack Obama has made it clear that the US wants to take a leadership role on humanitarian issues.
"We are looking hard at the number that we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in Syria and Europe," he said. "That's being vetted fully right now."
Kerry met with members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees. He did not give any specifics on the number of additional refugees the US may be willing to take.
The US has vowed to help its European allies with an escalating migrant crisis. Earlier this week, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kerry's predecessor, called for a "concerted global effort" to assist the refugees.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said yesterday that the Obama administration has been looking at a "range of approaches" for assisting US allies with 340,000 people freshly arrived from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Many are fleeing parts of Iraq that are under the Islamic State group's control.
While Germany braces for some 800,000 asylum seekers this year, the US hasn't said if it will increase its worldwide quota for resettling refugees from 70,000.
Only a fraction of those would be Syrians, who must first navigate a multiyear application process before learning if they can start a new life in the US. Kerry's briefings will also canvass migrant exoduses from Central America and elsewhere.
The US resettlement process for refugees, as it stands, is slow. They can wait around three years to find out if they can move to the United States, meaning Washington wouldn't be able to offer Europe much in quick assistance.
