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US agrees to take refugees detained by Australia

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The United States and Australia have reached an agreement regarding resettlement of refugees currently held in camps on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, off the northeast coast of Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement that the United States would complete its own vetting process of the hundreds of men, women and children, according to the New York Times.

{mosads}Some are from Iran and Afghanistan, others are from Vietnam and Malaysia.

“U.S. authorities will conduct their own assessment of refugees and decide which people are resettled in the U.S.,” he said.

Turnbull discussed the agreement at a press conference in Canberra, the country’s capital, according to the Times. Refugees on Manus Island may also be reviewed for refugee settlement in the United States, according to the Times.

“This agreement has been struck after months and months of very careful planning,” Turnbull said.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees supports the agreement, he said.

“We will continue to engage with UNHCR on its implementation,” he said.

As for the future of the agreement under President-elect Donald Trump, Turnbull said the Australian government will “deal with one administration at a time.”

“It will not be repeated. It is only available to those in the regional processing centers. It will not be available to any persons who seek to reach Australia in the future,” he said.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who is currently in New Zealand, said the U.S. “agreed to consider referrals,” from the U.N.H.C.R., according to Al Jazeera.

“We are going to work to protect vulnerable refugees around the world, and we’ll share that responsibility with our friends in the regions that are most affected by this challenge,” said Kerry.

Tags Donald Trump John Kerry

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