USCCB committee chair calls upon Congress to permit Syrian refugees to enter nation
Jan 16, 2014: Noting that the number of Syrian refugees has risen from 550,000 in
October 2012 to 2.3 million today, the chairman of the United Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Committee on Migration urged the Congress to increase aid to Syrian refugees,
permit 15,000 Syrian refugees to enter the country, and to encourage other nations
to welcome refugees as well.
The vice president of the International Rescue
Committee told National Public Radio report that the United States has given over
$1.4 billion in aid to Syrian refugees and that there are “fewer than 100” Syrian
refugees currently in the United States.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle also called upon Congress
to “work with other governments to obtain a ceasefire in Syria, initiate serious negotiations,
increase impartial humanitarian assistance, and give safe passage of that assistance,
especially for internally displaced people (IDPs), and encourage efforts to build
an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens, including
Christians and other minorities.”