White House 'actively considering' new measures to help Syrian refugees'

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White House says it's 'actively considering' new measures to help Syrian refugees but isn't ready to say what they are and if more migrants will be allowed in the US
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US will continue to play a 'leading role' in the crisis, White House said, but that doesn't 'necessarily' mean it will take in more migrants
It already gives the most to countries close to the conflict and could increase its humanitarian aid
Republicans worry that raising caps could effect national security; White House said it's a top concern

By Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:24 EST, 8 September 2015 | Updated: 16:56 EST, 8 September 2015

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The White House today said it is 'actively considering a range of approaches' to the Syrian refugee crisis that could include increased humanitarian aid or a lifting of the cap on migrants allowed in the country.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest could reveal little more about the administration's plans, however, stressing that the policies in place are still under review by the State Department, which has taken the lead on this issue.

'We continue to be concerned about about the vulnerable position of so many people who are fleeing violence in their home countries,' he said, 'and the United States and the way that we play a leading role in confronting so many other thorny and difficult problems, are prepared to continue to play a leading role in trying to assist those organizations that are trying to meet the needs and the basic humanitarian needs of these individuals.'

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Migrants arrive on a dinghy after crossing from Turkey to Lesbos island, Greece today. The island of some 100,000 residents has been transformed by the sudden new population of some 20,000 migrants, mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Countries closer to the conflicts have accepted thousands of migrants into their borders while the US has taken in just 1,500

A spokesman for the president's National Security Council revealed yesterday that U.S. was considering changes in its humanitarian aid to the Middle East for the migrant crisis.

'I don't have any new approaches to announce at this point,' Obama's top spokesman told reporters today.

The United States has contributed more than $4 billion to the cause, with more than $1 billion of that assistance coming this year alone, and is the 'largest bilateral donor,' the White House says.

But current limits on the number of refugees that it can open its doors to from individual countries have limited refugee intake to 1,500 refugees, per ABC News.

Earnest said he did not know how accurate that number is today. The news organization's senior White House Correspondent, Jon Karl, said it was confirmed by the State Department, though.

Bordering countries Turkey and Lebanon, have by contrast, accepted millions of refugees.

Jordan is sheltering more than 600,000, according to United Nations data. As of July, Egypt had absorbed 132,175.

Britain committed yesterday to taking in 20,000 over the next five years. France will house some 24,000.

The White House noted today that neighboring countries were 'graciously' hosting the bulk of the refugees and said the situation requires a 'more robust response' from countries around the world.

Earnest lauded European countries that have agreed to 'step up' and contribute more to the 'growing crisis.'

'They should be doing that,' he said.

He also contended that the US has met its global responsibilities by providing 'significant' financial support to gulf countries to help them offset costs of , though.

'The United States, particularly under the leadership of President Obama, is looked upon by the world to take a leading role in responding to a wide-variety of challenging situations,' he said.

'The situation is not new, and our effort to try to assist those countries bearing the brunt of this situation is not new,' he said, 'but it does appear this situation is is worsening, and that is why the United States is going to continue to consider additional steps that we could take.'

The White House noted today that neighboring countries were 'graciously' hosting the bulk of the refugees and said the situation requires a 'more robust response' from countries around the world

He further stated that the US could continue to lay claim to taking a 'leading role' in the migrant crisis without taking in thousands more refugees.

'The other thing that the United State's been doing, and we're going to redouble our efforts to do this is to try to resolve the political situation inside Syria,' he said today. 'That is, after all, what caused this humanitarian crisis in the first place.'

Earnest argued that Bashar al-Assad's ineffective governance 'has allowed that country to become divided and racked by violence.'

Inherent in the White House spokesman's response was, as the administration has in the past said, the building's view that ISIS militants wouldn't have been able to swallow up a third of the country had it not already been in strife.

Assad's behavior, he argued, is the 'root cause of this refugee crisis.'

'We have even seen the Assad regime use the military of that country to carry out terrible acts of violence against Syrian citizens. That is deplorable,' he said, and why the Obama administration has said publicly that he has 'lost legitimacy to lead that country.'

The White House continues to back a United Nations effort to remove Assad from power, peacefully, he said.

A group of 14 U.S. senators, led by Democrats Dick Durbin and Amy Klobuchar, both of whom serve in leadership positions, wrote to the president in May and urged him to 'dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept.'

'It is a moral, legal, and national security imperative for the United States to lead by example in addressing the world’s worst refugee crisis of our time by greatly increasing the number of Syrian refugees who are resettled in our country,' they wrote.

They leaned on a Refugee Council USA call to action that said the U.S. should take in 65,000 refugees.

The president's spokesman today said he did not know what the president's authority is to unilaterally raise the cap and directed in-depth questions on the policy to the State Department.

Likewise, he was unable to give a timeline for the review or detail the financial costs of such a policy shift, saying that the administration would first determine 'what the best set of policies would be' before it begins talking dollars.

And while it has no specific legislation in mind yet, 'I certainly wouldn't rule out an important role for Congress,' Earnest said.

A migrant familly rests at a collection point in the village of Roszke, Hungary, today. Most of the people flooding into Europe are refugees fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries who have a legal right to seek asylum, the United Nations said today

Refugees of different countries accompanied by police officers walk on the railway tracks near Szeged town as they broke out from the migrant collection point near Roszke village of the Hungarian-Serbian border today. Hungary's border with Serbia has become a major crossing point into the European Union, with more than 160,000 entering Hungary so far this year including 2,706 yesterday alone

'We continue to be concerned about about the vulnerable position of so many people who are fleeing violence in their home countries,' a spokesman for the White House said today, 'and the United States and the way that we play a leading role in confronting so many other thorny and difficult problems, are prepared to continue to play a leading role in trying to assist those organizations that are trying to meet the needs and the basic humanitarian needs of these individuals'

The administration could do battle with Republicans in Congress it relaxes restrictions on the number of Syrian refugees it grants asylum.

Several have already worried that it could give terrorists an opening to enter, and then attack, the United States.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is also a presidential candidate, said today that he would 'be open' to an expanding the number of Syrian refugees in the United States - 'if it can be done in a way that allows us to ensure that among them are not ... people who are part of a terrorist organization.'

'The vast and overwhelming majority of people who are seeking refuge are not terrorists, of course, but you always are concerned about that,' he told the Boston Herald.

'We've always been a country that has been willing to accept people who have been displaced,' he reportedly said in a radio interview with the Herald's companion station.

The White House said today that it is considering what effect raising caps would have on national security.

'Whenever we're considering a foreign policy question, concerns about the basic safety and security of the United States and our citizens are at the forefront,' Earnest said.

As the range of approaches are evaluated, 'the safety and security of the American people will be the top concern of the list,' he said.

The White House's announcement that its considering a change in approach came just a day after the Vatican's plea to European parishes that they take in one migrant family each, suggesting that a formal policy proposal could be on table by the time the Pope visits Washington, D.C. next week.

Asked today about the migrants in the context of the Pope's imminent trip, he said, 'Obviously, everyone is well aware of the sense of urgency. This is something that is being actively considered, and we're certainly mindful of the importance of timing here.'

Continuing, he said it's 'an urgent situation' and many people are in 'a rather desperate situation, and are in need of immediate assistance' and did not directly reference the Pope.