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| EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS / POOL |
President Biden will increase the limit on the number of refugees who can be resettled in the United States to 125,000 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the State Department informed Congress Monday.
The new limit is double the current cap of 62,500 refugees, which Biden raised in May from the previous limit of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump.
The increase comes as Biden faces criticism over the ongoing migration surge at the southwestern border as well as the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan — in which US citizens, legal permanent residents and applicants for special visas meant for those who helped America’s military in the two-decade-long war were left in Taliban-controlled territory.
The Wall Street Journal reports that approximately 40,000 Afghan citizens have been brought to the US in recent days, though none have been formally classified as refugees due to the haste with which they were taken out of Afghanistan.
The White House has asked Congress to change immigration law to allow Afghans brought to the US on temporary humanitarian grounds to receive the same benefits as refugees — including government benefits and automatic qualification for a green card after 12 months. --->READ MORE HERE
President Joe Biden will increase the refugee cap for the next fiscal year to 125,000, fulfilling a campaign promise and satisfying the demands of liberal Democrats in Congress amid calls for stepped-up resettlement of Afghan refugees.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was followed by calls to resettle Afghans who aided the nearly 20-year war effort. While the Biden administration celebrated thousands of evacuees, the State Department estimated that most allies were left behind.
“The Report to Congress recommends an increase in the refugee admissions target from 62,500 in Fiscal Year 2021 to 125,000 in Fiscal Year 2022 to address needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “A robust refugee admissions program is critical to U.S. foreign policy interests and national security objectives, and is a reflection of core American values.”
The Biden administration also seeks to expand the resettlement of refugees from Central America while grappling with a migration surge at the southern border of the United States, as well as the resettlement of dissidents from Myanmar.
On Monday, the State Department released a report to Congress calling for prioritizing “expanded resettlement of Central Americans; enhanced access to the USRAP for Afghans at risk due to their affiliation with the United States; increased resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees; priority access for at-risk Uyghurs, Hong Kong refugees, and Burmese dissidents; and resettlement of Burmese Rohingya.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Biden aims to welcome 125,000 refugees next year
Biden to Bring In More Refugees Than Entire Population of Ann Arbor
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