** European Resettlement News Digest, 26 December 2013 ** 1. UK/Syria Crisis: Britain should ‘hang its head in shame’ for failing Syrian refugees, Amnesty International says – 13 December 2013 2. US/Refugee Resettlement Programme: Resettled refugees are not a burden on the US: guest opinion – 14 December 2013 3. Ireland/Syria Crisis: Ireland to take 90 Syrian Refugees – 16 December 2013 New on the website: The ‘Focus on Syria’ page has been updated with the latest information and multimedia resources on the crisis in Syria. UK/Syria Crisis: Britain should ‘hang its head in shame’ for failing Syrian refugees, Amnesty International says 13 December 2013 – The Independent The UK has been heavily criticised by a human rights charity for failing to resettle vulnerable Syrian refugees. Amnesty International said the Government should “hang its head in shame” for not opening its borders to the some of the millions of people displaced by continuing violence in Syria. The UK is one of a number of EU countries who have offered no resettlement or humanitarian places, Amnesty added. The Government says it has no plans to plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians, but would consider individual asylum claims. Salil Shetty, Amnesty International secretary general, said: “Across the board European leaders should hang their heads in shame.” He said the number of Syrians the EU is prepared to resettle is “truly pitiful”. “The EU has miserably failed to play its part in providing a safe haven to the refugees who have lost all but their lives. The EU must open its borders, provide safe passage and halt these deplorable human rights violations.” Read more… US/Refugee Resettlement Programme: Resettled refugees are not a burden on the US: guest opinion 14 December 2013 – Oregon Live Refugee resettlement is an integral part of the U.S. immigration program, helping to bring the world’s most vulnerable populations to safety in the US. But some wonder why the federal government welcomes more of these strangers when the U.S. already has so many homeless and unemployed citizens. Based on my experiences arriving from a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, refugee resettlement need not be viewed as an issue of benefits to newcomers at the expense of old-timers. Usually, both the U.S. government and its newest arrivals end up winners. First of all, refugees don’t come to U.S. for free or without going through a security check. When a refugee comes from refugee camps overseas or from a country torn by war or political unrest, he or she takes a travel loan from the U.S. government for airfare. Refugees have to pay that money back. I owed $1,300 for my one-way plane ticket. Within a year, I paid every penny back. Refugee resettlement is an investment in the lives of refugees and in the development of this country. Annually, the U.S. resettles an average of 70,000 people, or roughly 1 percent of the total world refugee population. Since 1975, more than three million refugees have been resettled into the U.S., according to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). That’s an enormous addition to the tax base. Even though refugees have to wait until they are U.S. citizens to receive certain benefits, they start paying taxes upon arrival. The U.S. circulates the revenue generated from refugees to bring new refugees. A popular saying from my country comes to mind here, “frying the fish in its own oil.” Read more… Ireland/Syria Crisis: Ireland to take 90 Syrian Refugees 16 December 2013 – News Talk The government is to approve entry for 90 people forced to flee their home because of civil war. It's part of Ireland's 14-million euro commitment to Syria, where 9 million people need life-saving support. It comes after the United Nations' refugee agency appealed to the international community to re-home 30-thousand refugees. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore told reporters in Brussels this morning that he will discuss the Syrian crisis with his fellow European foreign ministers today: Listen here Last week, Amnesty International said Ireland could and should be doing more to help Syrian refugees. The human rights group released a report slamming Europe for its "pitiful" response to the crisis. The European Union has only offered 12,000 places for refugees, which is far short of the target of 30,000. Amnesty says this is just 0.5% of the 2.3 million people who have fled the country. It says only 10 EU member states have offered resettlement or humanitarian admission places to refugees from Syria. Disclaimer: The news and opinions contained in the News Digest, which are provided for informational purposes only, do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the European Resettlement Network members, UNHCR, ICMC or IOM, nor does it represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information provided herein. All information is taken from publicly available information provided by media outlets, organizations and blogs. The aim is to relay articles and information on resettlement in a bite-size and easy to read format. Should you no longer wish to receive this bi-weekly News Digest, please click here.