they come to unhcr offices to apply for the program where they're referred by unhcr or ngo staff who know about their situations and think they might make good candidates for resettlement in a third country. >> secretary kerry announced the refugee ceiling in 2017 will be 100,000. what nationalities do you anticipate admitting in significant number next year? >> well, in the past, it's been the three top nationals were burmese, butanese, and iraqis. that's changing, because we've brought so many from nepal that the numbers are now going down. we will still see significant numbers of burmese, iraqis, and now we'll be adding somalis are climbing in terms of their percentage coming. so that will continue to be the case. i think what you'll see is about half of the people coming will be from africa, and half will be roughly, 40%, 50% from the middle east. >> and what are the most common root causes for displacement in africa? >> well, in terms of becoming a refugee, you have to prove that you're fleeing. you have a well-founded fear of persecution for one of five reasons, which are race,

they come to unhcr offices to apply for the program where they're referred by unhcr or ngo staff who know about their situations and think they might make good candidates for resettlement in a third country. >> secretary kerry announced the refugee ceiling in 2017 will be 100,000. what nationalities do you anticipate admitting in significant number next year? >> well, in the past, it's been the three top nationalities were burmese, butanese, and iraqis. that's changing, because we've brought so many from nepal that the numbers are now going down. we will still see significant numbers of burmese, iraqis, and now we'll be adding somalis are climbing in terms of their percentage coming. so that will continue to be the case. i think what you'll see is about half of the people coming will be from africa, and half will be, roughly, 40%, 50% from the middle east. >> and what are the most common root causes for displacement in africa? >> well, in terms of becoming a refugee, you have to prove that you're fleeing. you have a well-founded fear of persecution for one of five reasons, which are

they have had a very good incentive to provide accurate information to the unhcr.f that registration -- that is how they get food rations and housing. discount the to importance of the interview because this is a face to face encounter where the refugee officers have been specially trained in the country conditions. they know what questions to ask. they know what questions to ask an individual leaving syria and about military service and about possible bars. there -- if they are a national security concern. we have individuals with a lot of expertise who can inform questions there. >> i need to go on to this last question. i apologize mr. bartlett but i want to get back to one thing. that is the definition of a refugee. if someone leaves syria, and we know there is a major humanitarian crisis there. we have been talking in the senate about the causes of that. but what i would like to do now -- if they leave syria and they go to turkey for a year and then apply to the u.s. are they bite definition -- they by definition considered a refugee? d i think i need to work

unhcr was important in setting a benchmark. we joined early on.didn't announce a number or goal. we said we are open for referrals. at the moment we have 19,000, and we're going to continue to accept those. so although we have a 10,000 entrant goal for this next year, we're not limited by that goal. and we'll continue to accept referrals from unhcr as this tragedy continues. >> thank you. i would just submit -- i'm way over -- i would submit that that is something to be thinking about. thank you. >> senator, if i may add very briefly, i -- senator durbin mentioned in his opening remarks that we do have a long process in the u.s. program in order for someone to come into the system. our average processing times. i don't think any of us are satisfied with those average processing times. and i can tell you that i have very strong direction from my deputy secretary to look hard at the places where we can affect efficiencies without cutting corners in any way in order to see that we can be more efficient see that when those referrals do come to us, we'

and we'll continue to accept referrals from unhcr as this tragedy continues. >> thank you. i would just submit, i'm way over, i would submit that -- that that is something to be thinking about. thank you. >> senator, if i may just add very briefly, i -- senator durbin mentioned in his opening remarks that we do have a -- a long process in the u.s. program in order for someone to come into the system. our average processing times. i don't think any of us are satisfied with those average processing times. and i can tell you that i have very strong direction from my deputy secretary to look hard at the places where we can effect efficiencies without cutting corners in any way in order to see that we can be more efficient so that when those referrals do come to us, we're able to process them effectively and efficiently as much as we possibly can. >> okay. senator frankel, i will just note that in 2013 the united states issued 117,000 green cards. the united states, pathway to citizenship, to migrants from muslim countries, including 70,000 to migrants from just middle eastern c

and we work unhcr to identify the most vulnerable cases.they sought to, starting in september 2013, they started to look at targeting a certain number of syrians, and it's now up to 130,000 syrians as a goal, and they have referred 20,000 of that number to us. in recent months it's climbed to 22,000. the u.s. will probably end up taking most of the syrian refugees who are referred for resettlement, but we are also trying to convince other countries to also do their share. >> right. and i want to get to that. but the number we have decided, the president announced, is 10,000. is that not correct? >> that's correct. for this fiscal year. >> right. how do we arrive at that number? based on what? >> well, we had been planning to bring between 5,000 and 8,000, and the president pushed us to stretch, and really gear up to take more. that makes sense as we're adding 15,000 refugees to our overall ceiling. then the number for the following year we haven't determined yet. in part that's because we want to see how well we do this year, or in the firs

unhcr has identified a number that of suitable for resettlement in the united states. there's where we start. is there reference made to 1600 but we will finish the year close to 2,000 so we got through the ones we focused on in fiscal year 2015. we should be very naval the security reviews for each of these. i agree with the excessment expressed earlier that this is a population of people that we're not going know a whole lot about necessarily, coming from syria. so, we're going meet our commitments with the resources we have, but we will do so carefully. >> thank you. mr. rasmussen, you talked in your testimony in your written testimony, about the increasing competition and conflict between the taliban, isil, and al qaeda, as a dynamic that you are working to understand more thoroughly. you also mentioned that the conflicts between these groups me a in some respect distract from their western targets. i would like to hear from you what are the questions that you're asking? you said you don't have all the answers. what are the questions your asking, and in some ways i

unhcr is active itself in trying to find a comprehensive solution. first by focusing on saving the lives of refugees and addressing humanitarian protection needs especially at the points of transit, first arrival and destination. we're working hard to as well strengthen protection systems for asylum procedures in europe but also in the eastern horn of africa from where some of the refugees are coming, as well as from north africa. and reinforcing the availability of protection and solutions in the regions where they first find security and safety. so we have been working to provide merge life saving assistance, strengthening first line reception, simping matters such as interpretation, protection monitoring, advocacy, working with the civil society and focusing as well on unaccompanied and separated children of whom there are several thousand who have been registered to date. we think that the united states has a key leadership role to play, always has and hopefully always will, not only in terms of humanitarian funding, a subject which has already b

>> reporter: yeah, i think we have spoken with a woman who works for the unhcr, she couldn't go on record, but there is a certain protocol dealing with the influx of refugees. the political fallout if you like of diplomatic wranglings over the fate of the refugees really holds no water here on the ground because the unhcr and various volunteer groups, helping to clothe them and giving them wet weather gear, rudimentary panchos, and whatever, i can look over my shoulder, there's some sandwiches being handed out over there by some volunteers, we can't turn around, it's a bit far away, there are children wrapped up and given warm clothes. they are making every effort they pos repl possibly can in ay difficult situation here. >> paul brennan, thank you. >>> the u.n. secretary-general has highlighted the issue, ban ki-moon has called for more hem from the european countries. hundreds of thousands have crossed into the continent this year. he hopes a solution can be found on this issue in the summit in malta later this month. >> it creates a huge domestic political social problems. at the same

we will be dispatching a team of australian officials to assist the unhcr to identify people who areuit abable for transfer to australia. we'll be doing that quickly, and we would like to see these people come to australia just as quickly as we can. now, i have to acknowledge that there will be time -- it will take time to undertake this processing. we need to insure that, firstly, these are people that the unhcr have recognized are, indeed, genuine refugees. we have to do the security checks that are associated with these kinds of arrangements and then make the suitable arrangements to bring them to australia. now, we will commence this process just as quickly as we can. 12,000 is a large intake. so, clearly, it's going to take some time, but our objective is to do it as quickly as possible. >> domestic violence is another issue in which both major parties agree more needs to be done. labor pushing the government to take action after three more tragic deaths. more than 60 have occurred in terms of deaths of women and children already this year. >> the leader of the opposition. >> my

they uscis, state department, and when a refugee is referred to us they are referred to us by unhcr. so unhcr will have done some of its own bedding, not deserts the security vetting that we would conduct, and in referring a refugee to the united states in particular, meyerson a do so because they're our family connections to the united states versus some of the country are so by the time they come to us, unhcr has judged him to be a good candidate for resettlement in the united states. once the that are with us, state department meets with the individual. mitogen is someone from the uscis will personally interview the refugee -- my understanding is that there's a pretty extensive background check now that includes vetting against a lot of other databases and agencies, including law enforcement and intelligence. it's better than it used to be, and the good news here is that unhcr has already identified a number of refugees that they believe would be appropriate for resettlement in the united states. so we are not starting from scratch where we are are waiting for people to pick up an

unhcr has doubled the numbers. it is possible there could be even greater numbers of arrivals next year. planning is based for the moment on figures similar to 2015. the agency says that the figures refer to those expected to take refuge by crossing the mediterranean. on thursday, there was no let up in the wave of refugees and migrants making the treacherous journey to escape conflict and economic hardship in middle east and africa. luckywere amongst the hundreds to obtain refugee status in france. >> i'm very happy to receive these papers, but my priority is my family, who stayed behind. i would like us to be reunited. reporter: more than half of those who have reached europe this year are syrians. some 4 million have fled their homes since the outbreak of the war. >> on israeli couple have been shot -- an israeli couple have been shot dead while driving through the west bank. their children were also in the car and are now being treated for shock. the family was driving near a jewish settlement. jewish forces ar

which gives settlement applicants with you established the ability to skip the referrals from the unhcr and apply directly to the resettlement support center. second, improving the timing and security of medical and security screenings to ensure that applicants or their entire families did not have their checks expire forcing them to redo many of those screenings when individual parts of the test expire while they are waiting for other parts to be completed. and third, keeping families updated about their status frequently a large family so that will be delayed because a single family member is waiting to be approved. those are kind of common sense, straightforward methods of reforming the screening process so that it takes weeks not years to reach conclusion. and i think they are doable. they may require more resources but that's where the united states congress should be involved, and i will be sending a letter within a few days detailing those proposals. a large audience here i think his testimony to the importance of the subject. again not just because of our standing or image in th

the unhcr had put the figure at 850,000 people.ost of the refugees are escaping violence in the middle east, making their way to europe by the mediterranean sea. the agency said these numbers could rise even further. heavy fighting in kunduz between the talibantable and the afghan ar more than 300 injured. meanwhile in the afghan capitol, kabul, people have been protesting against the taliban incursion in kunduz. hundreds waived banners against the taliban and expressed support for security forces. president ghani's government has been criticized for its response. let's bring in al jazeera kaiser jimi about 130 kilometers from kunduz. tell us about what you are hearing about what the situation in kunduz is now. who is in control city? >> heavy fighting is going on. it's getting worse every. we are hearing both sides are using artillery and heavy machineguns and targeting civilians. we are hearing taliban are hiding afternoon the center in an area, also, in other part of the north we are getting reports of some acheesement taliban a

i spoke earlier with a unhcr representative and he made a point to me which is that up to now, the european countries, the e.u. should have seen this coming when the hungary closed its borders, be better prepared to respond to these tens of thousands of people that are coming through from all of these countries and they should be better prepared to actually talk to each other instead of criticizing each other, which has been very much the scene and the tenor in recent days. david. >> appreciate that. that's robin walker in slovenia. >> the syrian president bashar al assad says he's ready to take part in elections, and believes the political solution toned the country's four year war is possible. assad made the comments to a delation of russian politicians in damascus but says a political deal will depend on preliminary nateing what he calls terrorist organizations. a member of the syrian opposition and professor of political science says there's no question of bashar al assad remaining in power as part of the peace process. most of the people fighting bashar al assad are patriots. the probl

so we do work heavily through unhcr. have offices in all refugee hosting countries around the world, and so they are our primary partner -- >> and -- >> and so if i could just one of the things i'd like to say in response to helping people overseas the u.s. government has provided $4.5 billion since the beginning of the syrian crisis to do just that to help refugees, number one, survive. >> does that some of that go to u.n. money -- >> absolutely. >> -- or in addition to the u.n. money? >> no, it goes primarily to the u.n., the international red cross and theent national organization for migration and a host of ngos that are operational. we work through those partners because they are the ones that actually know how to do the job. >> and we are the largest contributor. >> that's correct. and it is with the intent that people, number one, want to go home, which they do, and they will be able to do so. but there does come a point in time that the strains on hosting countries and jordan and turkey and lebanon are obviously

unhcr will have done some of its own vetting, not necessarily the security vetting. and in referring a refugee to the united states in particular, it is my understanding that they do so because there family connections to the united states. judge them to be a good candidate for resettlement in the united states. was there with us the state department meets with the individual. they'll personally interview the refugee. a pretty extensive background check now that includes vetting against a lot of other databases and agencies, including law enforcement and intelligence better than it used to be. the good news here is, unhcr has already identified a number of refugees that they believe the appropriate for resettlement in the united states. we are not starting from scratch. identified a number that is resealable -- that are suitable for resettlement. the last fiscal year, close to turn around 2,000 ._gotten through the. new line gotten through the ones who were focused on in fiscal 15. but i do want to be and have told our people we should be very careful in the security

at that time, the unhcr, because they have field level people working in camps where they have p ngo's doing that, identifies specific people, specific families who they consider most vulnerable. senator sessions: the u.n. would send it to your people, you them,then eval -- valuate or take information from them, and then it goes to homeland security who does personal interviews. is that correct? >> yes, sir, that's correct. i know you have a good plan there, mr. emrich, but there is no place to check. then if they are approved, their air fair is provided to the united states? >> not only do they go through security checks but they go through health exams. we do that not only for the health of the refugee but also for the citizens of the uts us -- united states. once they arrive, they sign a promissory note to pay back the lone. we have an 80% repayment rate, and that money goes back into future refugee programs. senator sessions: mr. carey, we just need to be aware when we talk about the cost of the program -- and we have a billion dollar cost, colleagues we are not talking about the n

unhcr has been quite proactive to provide a dialogue, a convening for that. the u.s. has quite a lot to learn from the resettlement experience in europe. up until now, that experience has been very much the social welfare state model. dealing with tens, hundreds of people. now, au contraire, they're confronted with quite important numbers of refugees being resettled or relocated within europe. much like the american model. as assistant secretary richards said, they're also asking questions. and the united states can provide some very helpful answers with the imperative to work. the united states hasn't really set up standards for citizenship. we don't know how many refugees who have been resettled have become citizens of the united states. the other data map -- other data indicators aren't always very clearly available. the main thing now is a lot more engagement by, for example, the migration policy institute. where they're having experts in integration of refugees and immigrants in europe speaking to americans to learn mu art how things are happening and where there

behind me, there is a combination of workers from the unhcr, clearly, united nations high commission for refugees, the humanitarian side of the effort, their mission is quite clearly humanitarian. police officers tasked with security and making sure that the refugees who come across the border are processed that their names are taken that some details are taken and that the transit of these refugees on wards towards the austrian border takes a smooth process, take a smooth path. so it's a combination of attitudes. there is kind of real politic going on here. leaving them on the fields and the road sides as the weather conditions deteriorate now is simply not an option. but at the same time letting them roam free is equally not an option because the countries along the routes want to maintaito makesure they can maia condition ever neutrality. >>> ban ki-moon called for more help from european countries. hundreds of thousands have crossed into the continent this year and ban ki-moon hopes a solution to the crisis can be found on a suvment a summit at d of malta next month. >> it create

we will be dispatching a team of australian officials to assist the unhcr to identify people who areit abable for transfer to australia. we'll be doing that quickly, and we would like to see these people come to australia just as quickly as we can. now, i have to acknowledge that there will be time -- it will take time to undertake this processing. we need to insure that, firstly, these are people that the unhcr have recognized are, indeed, genuine refugees. we have to do the security checks that are associated with these kinds of arrangements and then make the suitable arrangements to bring them to australia. now, we will commence this process just as quickly as we can. 12,000 is a large intake. so, clearly, it's going to take some time, but our objective is to do it as quickly as possible. >> domestic violence is another issue in which both major parties agree more needs to be done. labor pushing the government to take action after three more tragic deaths. more than 60 have occurred in terms of deaths of women and children already this year. >> the leader of the opposition. >> my

to talk about the human requirements from a humanitarian perspective is a representative from the unhcr. where do you see the problems at the moment and how can they be involved here? >> i think the best approach to the issues that we are seeing here is the cooperation and solidarity that european union needs to do coming together. we've been hearing messages, those messages need to be put in action in places like greece and also here, where you see this desperate population majority of whom are refugees from syria, afghanistan and iraq arriving here, seeking safety in europe, and the needs are immense. you have women and children inside here. i was talking to them earlier inside, and it's a traumatic journey for them. they have been already through too much. we need countries to come together, coordinate and coordinate with relief agencies in terms of assistance. >> it's not just about that relief. it's about where these people are going to go. they all say they want to go to germany, but that's just not sustainable, is it, for the germans. there needs to be closer information of oppor

unhcr has been quite active to provide a dialogue, a convening for that. the u.s. has quite a lot to learn from the resettlement experience in europe. up until now, that experience has been very much the social welfare state model. dealing with tens, hundreds of people. now, au contraire, they're confronted with quite important numbers of refugees being resettled or relocated within europe. much like the american model. as assistant secretary richards said, they're also asking questions. with the imperative to work. the united states hasn't really set up standards for citizenship. we don't know how many refugees who have been resettled have become citizens of the united states. the other data map, other data indicators aren't always very clearly available. the main thing now is a lot more engagement by, for example, the migration policy institute. where they're having experts in integration of refugees and immigrants in europe. speaking about how things are happening and where there are lessons to be learned. it will be a long-term thing. a lot of what we've been t

about 630 syrians have been registered by a unhcr plus hundreds of thousands more that have already assimilatedn skror dan, all of which plays an incredible burden on the kingdom to provide basic services to over 1 million new people. but with more and more refugees seeking to reach europe from syria and its neighbors there will, of course, be those seeking to take advantage. we're now seeing smuggling networks popping up in turkey, lebanon, libya and else w turning trafficking and syrian refugees into a billion dollar industry and also creating security concerns as we have no way of knowing who is being smuggled into europe and elsewhere. and with president obama's announcement that the u.s. will take in 10,000 syrians this also raises concerns for many in the u.s. especially in light of the fbi director's testimony to congress last week that the u.s. may not be able to properly vet all of those seeking to come to our nation. as a legislative body, this is something that we must take seriously. if we cannot guarantee the proper vetting of these refugees, it would be irresponsible for us to pro

capacity building on a host icmc partner as well as unhcr. it speaks to their ability to show the cases we are getting as this begins may or may not be the strongest but it -- but as they are getting their feet wet and staffed up, we're beginning to see a breakthrough. > did you have a question? just a comment. there is one of the back. >> heather stewart from the association of just a comment. you speak to 90% of people will international educators. not be resettled. one question that i have is, is there a way to recommend people that are identified that are in college or university or have an education that would be elpful within the global community at large? we are seeing large numbers of people that will be displaced for many years if not decades. how can we make sure that we don't have a generation of people that aren't getting the higher education they will need and who should be getting it to either a cyst were they are going or return back to syria or other nations? >> i would say this is one of the areas where we are asking for inno

about 630 syrians have been registered by unhcr plus hundreds of thousands more that have already assimilatedgdom to provide basic services to over a million new people. but with more and more refugees seeking to reach europe from syria and its neighbors, there will, of course, be those seeking to take advantage. we're now seeing smuggling networks popping up in turkey, lebanon, libya and elsewhere, turning trafficking and syrian refugees into a billion dollar industry and also creating security concerns as we have no way of knowing who is being smuggled into europe and elsewhere. and with president obama's announcement that the u.s. will take in 10,000 syrians, this also raises concerns for many in the u.s. especially in light of the fbi director's testimony to congress last week that the u.s. may not be able to properly vet all of those seeking to come to our nation. as a legislative body this is something that we must take seriously. if we cannot guarantee the proper vetting of these refugees, it would be irresponsible for us to promote it. we must protect our country first and ensure that

the individual comes in contact that heith unhcr provides that story, family then the interview, it iserviewed again. by the time the folks are application, they have had a good incentive to because atormation that registration, that is how they get food rations for the most part. i do not want to discount the importance of the interview here. it is a face-to-face counter where refugee officers have been specially trained in the country and country conditions. ask.know what questions to they know what questions to ask about military service, what questions to ask about possible bars. we look at, if there are national security concerns, we of the the consistency encounters and it gives us a chance to ask additional questions. a lot of expertise. >> as any other major party want to make a point? thank you. i am out of time but i want to get back to one thing. the definition of a refugee. syria, we havees been talking about the causes of that. turkey and is therefore a year, are they by definition considered a syrian refugee for u.s. consideration in our process question mark -- process?-

michel spent more than 25 years an unhcr. thank you. our third witness is, that we will hear from today is miss nancy lindborg, president of the united states institute of peace. nancy has served at usaid. thank you for that service. i know you came here -- if you could spend five minutes giving your positions, we withouty will, objection, your written testimony will become part of the record. if you can go down the line and give your testimony, we look forward to questions and your comments. thank you. [inaudible] miliband: i am honored to be here. i want to congratulate you on not just holding a hearing on the humanitarian situation in the middle east but recognizing the links between the humanitarian situation and the geopolitical situation. a uniquezation has perspective on the crisis, because we are working in the conflict zones of syria, iraq, and yemen. we are in the neighboring states you referred to -- we're in g reece in lesbos where half the refugees are landing on european soil and we are in the united states, we accepted re

icmc partner as well as unhcr.t speaks to their ability to show the cases we are getting as this begins may or may not be the strongest but it -- but as they are getting their feet wet and staffed up, we're beginning to see a breakthrough. >> did you have a question? just a comment. there is one of the back. >> heather stewart from the association of international educators. you speak to 90% of people will not be resettled. one question that i have is, is there a way to recommend people that are identified that are in college or university or have an education that would be helpful within the global community at large? we are seeing large numbers of people that will be displaced for many years if not decades. how can we make sure that we don't have a generation of people that aren't getting the higher education they will need and who should be getting it to either a cyst were they are going or return back to syria or other nations? >> i would say this is one of the areas where we are asking for innovative approache

. >> unhcr were at the scene for food, aid and counseling, but few wanted to stay. >> we have about fix to provide a little bit of comfort, to counsel them, to talk to them, to get to know their stories and to find out a little bit more about why they're moving and how. >> reporter: instead, most keep moving north to croatia and slovenia hoping to make it to germany before more of europe closes its borders. >>> the intensified battle for the northern city of aleppo has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes. >> we want you to hear this. a representative from a medical aid group gave an emotional first-hand account of the desperate relief efforts and a plea for the world to end this war. listen. >> we can't provide enough food. we can't provide enough medicine. we can't provide shelter. even if we do so for a small portion, we can't. we can't take it alone. you just see our faces. we haven't slept in days now. it's beyond our capacity. for god sake, we can't take it anymore. no one of us slept for the past four days. we don't know what to do. help us. do something to end thi

tens of thousands of refugees are now traveling through serbia, according to the unhcr as countries furthery're overwhelmed with the influx of ref 1993s. on monday the croatian prime minister met with his cabinet. >> obviously yesterday we kept 6,000 from coming in on the other side in serbia. it's apparent that this is no solution. so we will let them through. >> reporter: aid agencies say the living conditions on the borders have completely disintegrated. >> we are distributing coats and blankets and biscuits and water. we are doing as much as we can. the other organizations are the same. the doctors are receiving many, many medical cases as you can see, this is a humanitarian, seriously humanitarian situation. >> as the winter months close in and the weather gets colder, the daily struggle for these member, women and children at europe's gates only worsens. >> the desperation on the ground is so intense. when you fathom what they've gone through. >> we saw earlier what they were running from and seeing young children in that condition touches your heart. you know something needs to be do

unhcr expects to receive just 47% of the funding they need in the next year. again, this hearing will look at how the united states can best work with our allies in europe to meet humanitarian needs and prevent security threats. in the 20th and 21st centuries, the united states and europe have come together to address the great challenges of our time. this is an opportunity to do so again. before we begin, and before i yield to dr. burgess, i'd like to recognize an ambassador who is present with us in the room today. thank you for joining us for this hearing. i'd like to yield to dr. burgess. commissioner pitts? >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, fellow commissioners and distinguished panelists and guests. i want to thank all of you for your participation here today on this hearing on europe's refugee crisis. the term crisis does little justice to the dire situation that refugees are facing. the war in syria, where more than half of the population has either been killed or displaced, has been raging for over four years now. the war's ensuing expansion and