Obama expects U.S. to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees this year

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech during his visit to Hanover, Germany April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he expected the United States would meet a goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of the year despite delays and opposition from critics concerned about security implications.

As Europe grappled with Syrians fleeing the country’s civil war last autumn, Obama promised to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of fiscal year 2016. But the State Department reported on March 31, halfway into the fiscal year, that only 1,285 Syrians had been admitted into the United States.