Obama plans to increase number of refugees to US

The Obama Administration plans to increase the number of refugees admitted to the United States by 30 percent in fiscal year 2017, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an annual refugee report submitted to Congress.

Secretary of State John Kerry presented the new target of 110,000 in the 2017 fiscal year starting Oct. 1, up from 85,000 in 2016, during a closed session to members of the House and Senate judiciary committees on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.

Kerry has said repeatedly over the past year that the United States would admit at least 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2017 and try to admit more if it were able.

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court in Chicago is set to hear arguments in Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s appeal of a ruling that blocked his order to bar state agencies from helping Syrian refugees resettle in Indiana, the Associated Press said.

The appeals court is considering the case Wednesday, about two months before voters decide if Pence will be the nation's next vice president. After the November Paris attacks, Pence said he didn’t believe the federal government was adequately screening refugees from war-torn Syria. In February, a federal judge found Pence's order discriminatory against refugees.

Pence administration attorneys say the directive is “narrowly tailored” in the interest of public safety. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana argues refugees are extensively vetted and the state's argument is “built on fear.”

With AP inputs