U.S. admitted only 2 Christian refugees out of 281 from Syria in first two months of 2016
The U.S. State Department reportedly admitted only two Syrian Christians out of 281 refugees from January to February 2016.
Barnabas Aid says the figures reflect the UN referral system's injustice towards Syrian Christians. Instead of staying at UN refugee camps, the Syrian Christians seek shelter in schools and churches, fearing Islamist refugees in the camps, according to Worthy News.
The situation of Syrian Christian refugees prevent them from taking advantage of the UN resettlement programs because only those registered in UN refugee camps are qualified. For this reason, they are in need of special assistance in seeking aid and asylum, the report details.
Last fall, President Barack Obama vowed to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees within the fiscal year of 2016. However, Congress and other state capitals opposed the plan after ISIS launched deadly attacks in Paris, CNS News reports.
Concerns about the extremist group using the refugee program to smuggle ISIS militants into Western countries saw many oppose Obama's plan. Two of the suspects in the Paris attacks possessed fake Syrian passports, the report notes.
Based on a survey conducted among Americans days after the Paris attacks, 53 percent of the respondents did not want the U.S. to go through with the resettlement of 10,000 Syrian refugees. Among the respondents in the American public opinion poll, 28 percent agreed with Obama's plan, while 11 percent said the U.S. should conduct religious screening and only admit Christian refugees.
Looking at the longer period from the start of the 2016 fiscal year, only 1,067 out of the pledged 10,000 Syrian refugees entered the U.S. The admitted asylum seekers were comprised of 97.9 percent Sunni Muslims, and only 8 percent Christians and 2 with no denomination. The Christian refugees include three Catholics, two Orthodox, and one Greek Orthodox.
Meanwhile, Worthy News points out that 98 percent of the Syrian refugees who entered the U.S. in 2015 in total were Muslims.
Barnabas Aid used Operation Safe Havens to help relocated 157 Syrian Christian refugees to Poland. The group is now working to relocate 153 Iraqi Christian refugees into the Czech Republic.