There has been recent controversy surrounding Syrian refugees and the countries that are opening their doors. There is an abundance of refugees in Greece; however due to the country’s economic struggle, they cannot help any new refugees that have settled in their country.

In order to settle these issues, the European Union (EU) has brokered a deal involving the transfer of Greece’s Syrian refugees to Turkey. In return for taking in these refugees, Turkey will be compensated with more political power and billions of dollars in funding for refugee aid. Turkey has always had an “open-door” policy which openly welcomes refugees and immigrants into their country.

In order to keep Turkey’s population of refugees under control, as their population of registered refugees currently stands at 2.7 million, they have decided that for every refugee they receive from Greece, another refugee from Turkey will be sent to another European country to be permanently resettled. The maximum number of refugees Turkey is allowed to send out of their country is set at 72,000.

Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, believes this plan is controversial because it obligates people to return to Syria, which they consider a violation of international law. Turkey denies these accusations.

The Syrian refugee crisis has been ongoing for several months; most likely it will continue until conditions in both Syria and Greece are improved. With the creation of this deal, the EU maintains the importance of finding a safe and welcoming home for all Syrian refugees.