“The only private resettlement program that we could support would be one that increases the number of refugees who arrive in the U.S., while at the same time maintaining and even strengthening the U.S. government commitments,” Steinberg said.

Voluntary Burden

Sponsorship is gaining early support from some who have been critical of existing programs.

“I would certainly be open to considering a program partnering refugees with U.S. sponsors – especially if it would cut down on the financial burden for American taxpayers,” Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican who has called for stronger vetting, said in a statement. “The administration needs to significantly increase its verification safeguards before we open anything up further.”

In a November 2015 Gallup Poll, just 37 percent of those surveyed said they approved of U.S. plans to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2016.

Still, backers hope they’ll be able to tap into a well of public support they say has only grown since last year when a viral image showed the body of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee, drowned on a Turkish beach.

“Unlike some of the politicians that have been anti-refugee, we’ve actually seen that communities and individuals across the country have been incredibly responsive to the global refugee crisis,” said Jennifer Quigley, advocacy strategist for Human Rights First, a New York City nonprofit. “They say ‘I want to be able to help a refugee and help them achieve the American dream.”’

This article was provided by Bloomberg News.

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