U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. would increase the number of refugees it accepts over the next two years. Kerry was moved by the plight of the Syrian people during his visit to Germany.


Kerry said the total number of refugees taken by the U.S. yearly would rise from 70,000 to 85,000 next year and to 100,000 in 2017, Reuters reported, according to The Guardian.

"The need is enormous, but we are determined to answer the call," said Kerry while declining to comment on whether any of the additional refugees would be from Syria.

The announcement came at a time when there has been widespread discussion on the topic, with many people, including the former secretary of state and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton demanding an increase by the U.S. in the number of refugees it accepts. "We're facing the worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II, and I think the United States has to do more. I would like to see us move from what is a good start with 10,000 to 65,000 and begin immediately to put into place the mechanisms for vetting the people that we would take in," Clinton had said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, according to NBC News.

But there have been vocal critics of the move.

"ISIS and other terrorist groups have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, said in a joint statement criticizing the government of admitting refuges "without a concrete and foolproof plan to ensure that terrorists won't be able to enter the country. The administration has essentially given the American people a 'trust me.' That isn't good enough," the duo said, according to USA Today.

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