WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The program to resettle oversees refugees into the United States generally takes up to two years, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard told the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
"It generally lasts 18 to 24 months," Richard told the CSCE in testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. "We take very seriously the need to secure our borders as part of that program."
The CSCE is an independent, bipartisan federal agency that monitors compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Accords and works to advance comprehensive global security.
Richard noted that the US government has not been keeping track of the total number of Syrian refugees that require assistance in resettlement.
"I don’t think we have an estimate of that," Richard said. "It’s very much done on a case by case basis, and we work with the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] to identify the most vulnerable cases."
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, four million people have fled the country, according to UN estimates.
As the refugee crisis escalated, Washington pledged to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees. Earlier this week, US law enforcement and security officials expressed concerns that resetting Syrians could present a major terrorism risk.
