US will continue to welcome refugees at home: Barack Obama

Amidst increasing political rhetoric against refugees inside the country, President Barack Obama today asserted that the US will continue to welcome them because doing so reflects America's values.

Obama also announced to convene a Leaders Summit on Refugees in September on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly session of the United Nations. "In September, when world leaders meet for the UN General Assembly, I will convene a Leaders' Summit on Refugees," Obama said. 

In advance of that Summit, the US is urging other governments to contribute more funding for humanitarian aid operations, to grant more refugees the chance to work and attend school, and to provide more resettlement opportunities for refugees who cannot safely go home or remain where they are, he said.

"Protecting and assisting refugees is a part of our history as a Nation, and we will continue to alleviate the suffering of refugees abroad, and to welcome them here at home, because doing so reflects our American values and our noblest traditions as a Nation, enriches our society, and strengthens our collective security," Obama said in a statement on the occasion of the World Refugee Day.

Recognising the challenges and hardships that refugees face, honour their courage and resilience in the face of overwhelming obstacles, and celebrate their many valuable contributions to the US, Obama said this year's commemoration comes as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that more people are displaced by rising violence, insecurity, and persecution than at any time on record. Over 65 million people around the world more than the population of France, or California and Texas combined have been driven from their homes. More than half are children. The scale of this human suffering is almost unimaginable; the need for the world to respond is beyond question, he said.

Every day, members of the international community, humanitarian organizations, civil society, and individual citizens work to assist these vulnerable populations. "For our part, the US provides more humanitarian assistance to refugees than any other nation and maintains the world s largest refugee resettlement program. We support programs that provide food, water, shelter, and medical care to refugees, and fight for their rights to safety, dignity and long-term livelihood opportunities," said the US President.