Secretary of State John Kerry and other officials told Congress that President Barack Obama wants the U.S. to take in 30 percent more refugees in 2017.
Kerry delivered the announcement along with Homeland Security and Health and Human Services officials, according to The Washington Times.
The Obama administration's 2017 target number is 110,000 refugees, up from 85,00 in 2016 and 70,000 in 2015.
No target number was announced for Syrians, but some 30,000 of them could be approved for resettling over the next 12 months.
"The United States is deeply committed to assisting some of the world's most vulnerable refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. As Secretary [Kerry] has said, this is who we are; this is America at its best," the department said in a statement.
Officials have been approving applications in an attempt to meet the 2016 goal before the fiscal year ends at the end of September. More than 77,000, including 600 Syrians, have been admitted in the 2016 fiscal year so far, according to the Times.
Admissions from Iraq, Bhutan, and Myanmar remain steady, with more coming in from Congo. The administration said it wants to admit more from Central America, since families from those countries have been fleeing violence and poverty and sneaking into the U.S., the Times reports.
Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama slammed the announcement, saying, "The common-sense concerns of the American people are simply ignored as the administration expands its reckless and extreme policies."
Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, agreed with Sessions and said "we must remain compassionate toward refugees, but we also need to make sure that we use common sense.
"Unfortunately, President Obama unilaterally increases the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year and gives little thought as to how it will impact local communities," he added.
Screening Syrian refugees poses a security issue because the U.S. doesn't have access to databases and information in that country.
Kerry's announcement came the same day German authorities detained three Syrian refugees they said had ties to ISIS.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate, has banned Syrian refugees from being resettled in his state. A case appealing the ban is set for the U.S. Court of Appeals, according to the Indy Star.
Obama is scheduled to host a summit on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly to call on international leaders to help with the global refugee crisis, according to the State Department.
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