The refugee crisis unfolding in Europe has Oregonians offering help. But America’s resettlement process means the state is unlikely to see any new Syrians until next year.
Churches and individuals are calling Oregon’s refugee agencies and offering money and bedrooms.
But Jan Elfers of the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon said they’re having to tell people to wait.
“The good news about an orderly process is that’s it’s an orderly process. The bad news is when you want to expedite the process it can be frustrating. But it’s because we have a very specific way in which we accept refugees coming into the United States,” Elfers said.
Elfers is waiting for Oct. 1 to see whether the Obama Administration increases its Refugee Admissions Ceiling.
The president said last week that the U.S. will admit 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year.
Oregon is likely to accept about 1,200 refugees from around the world this year. The Syrian crisis is expected to drive that number up next year.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
