Syrian refugee family rebuilds life in the US, hopeful relatives will be able to join them

In this Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015 photo, Hussam Alroustom, center, poses for a cell phone photo by his daughter Maaesa as his wife, Suha, left, looks on in their apartment in Jersey City, N.J. The Alroustom family are Syrian refugees after fleeing their war stricken country. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (The Associated Press)

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In this photo taken Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, Wesam Alroustom, right, plays on a tablet as his father, Hussam, top left, and his mother, Suha, center, play with his sister Maaesa in their apartment in Jersey City, N.J. Wesam, who is autistic, is a Syrian refugee after his family fled their war stricken country. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (The Associated Press)

In this Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015 photo, Maaesa Alroustom, center, is kissed by her mother, Suha, as her father, Hussam, back, sits with her brother Wesam in their apartment in Jersey City, N.J. The Alroustoms are Syrian refugees after fleeing their war stricken country. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (The Associated Press)

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Hussam Al Roustom and his family had never planned to leave Syria. But the violence from the civil war of recent years made life there unbearable.

Now the couple and their two young children are rebuilding their lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.

They've been here for about three months, among the about 1,500 Syrian refugees who have been resettled in the U.S. so far out of an estimated 4 million who have fled the country.

They're hopeful other relatives will be able to follow — the Obama administration announced last week that 10,000 Syrian refugees would be accepted in the coming fiscal year.

Many Syrians have been making dangerous journeys to get to Europe.

European nations have been in crisis as governments try to deal with the influx, with some closing borders.