The U.S. will reach its Syrian refugee goal on Monday

On Monday, the United States will reach its goal of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees as part of a yearlong resettlement program, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan announced Sunday.

Since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, nearly five million Syrians have fled the country. Close to 660,000 live in Jordan, and several hundred refugees are leaving Jordan over the next 24 hours for resettlement in the U.S. Ambassador Alice Wells said refugees are "the most thoroughly screened category of travelers to the United States, and Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny."

The resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who are ill, targeted for violence, or experienced torture. One of those people is Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, 49, a former construction worker from Homs who has heart problems. He told The Associated Press he feels "fear and joy, fear of the unknown and our new lives, but great joy for our children's lives and future." He is headed to San Diego with his wife and four children, including 14-year-old Mohammed, who said he is excited to go to school and wants to one day study medicine.

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