Two-year-old Aylan Kurdi’s body washed onto the Turkey shoreline on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Kurdi and his brother, Galip Kurdi, drowned during their family’s attempted escape across the Mediterranean Sea from Syria. In March of 2011, civil war between rebels and the Syrian government broke out. Since then, the United Nations estimates about 4 million Syrians have fled the country, and are attempting to take refuge in neighboring countries and Europe.

War refugees without papers are not allowed to take their cars into Turkey. Instead they walk. Many of those that wish to get to Europe must pay large amounts to cross the Mediterranean by whatever means available to them. This is dangerous because most of their inadequate vessels are overfilled.

More than 350,000 Syrians have made the dangerous trek to Europe and declared political asylum, while over 3 million have entered Syria’s neighboring countries.

The White House announced that in the next fiscal year, 10,000 Syrian refugees will be accepted into the United States. Among those who agree that U.S. should aid in the refugee crisis are former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told CNN that the U.S. should lead an “international response.” Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina, also believes the United States “should take our fair share.”

Another announcement from the White House declared that $4 billion will be donated to relief agencies. These agencies will continue to provide emergency services, including safe drinking water and sanitation for the Syrian refugees.

By Olivia Drlik