ABSTRACT
The United States Government has followed the Syrian refugee situation closely, and has contributed some $4.5 billion – more than any other country – in humanitarian assistance.1 Syrian refugees have also become a part of the national dialogue in the 2016 presidential campaign, evoking debates about Middle Eastern and Muslim refugees, as well as the conflict in Syria. Refugee advocates argue that the US can and should do more to take the lead on responding to Syrian displacement, while some politicians urge caution and taking a step back from engagement on refugeerelated issues. This chapter focuses specifically on refugee resettlement; a small-scale, but important aspect of US refugee policy. Certainly the US is engaged on Syrian displacement in more ways than simply through resettlement – it researches, advocates, funds, and speaks out diplomatically and through programs “on the ground” via USAID and myriad NGOs – but resettlement is one vehicle through which to consider how the US is responding to Syrian refugees, and migration more broadly in its current context. The chapter provides an overview of resettlement in order to contextualize discussion around Syrian refugee resettlement to the US, and looks at the current political context in the US to better understand its stance toward Syrian displacement.
