A report in The Guardian yesterday probed why the US has accepted so few Syrian refugees. Since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, more than 3 million people have fled the country. In that time the US has resettled only 191 Syrian refugees, the majority of whom applied for resettlement before the conflict erupted. Amongst other factors, far-reaching US counterterrorism laws have restricted the number of Syrians approved for resettlement. In February, the US loosened some of its counterterrorism restrictions, but it is too early to say what effect the new policies will have. With the number of refugees projected to rise to 4 million by the end of the year, a number of aid groups are pushing for the US to step up its efforts to resettle Syrians.
Read the full report here.