White House retreats on Biden s refugee promise Says 62,500 goal is now unlikely Follow Us
Question of the Day By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Friday, April 16, 2021
White House press secretary Jen Psaki signaled a retreat Friday from President Biden‘s goal of allowing up to 62,500 refugees into the country in 2021, saying that now seems “unlikely.”
Mr. Biden sent Congress a notice in February saying he would up the 15,000 number bequeathed to him by President Trump, and put his own target at 62,500.
But Ms. Psaki said they have since realized that’s not going to be doable.
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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Friday stuck with his predecessor’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year and instead moved to accelerate admissions, triggering an outcry from resettlement agencies and even Biden allies that he was backpedaling on a key promise.
Many were surprised Biden did not replace the cap by former President Donald Trump, having submitted a plan to Congress two months ago to quadruple that number. The administration has indicated he may still do so.
Biden instead signed an emergency determination to adjust the allocation limits imposed by Trump that have disqualified a significant number of refugees, including those fleeing war.
Facing Fierce Backlash, White House Rushes to Course Correct on Refugee Cap msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
White House says refugee cap will be increased in May after pushback from allies, aid groups
By Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani and Julie Watson
Published
WASHINGTON - The White House said Friday that President Joe Biden is expected to increase the refugee cap for the remainder of this fiscal year by May 15.
Biden earlier Friday moved to accelerate refugee admissions but kept his predecessor’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year, triggering a backlash from Democratic lawmakers and resettlement agencies.
Biden stated in his emergency determination that the admission of up to 15,000 refugees this year remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest. But should the cap be reached before the end of the current budget year and the emergency refugee situation persists, then a presidential determination may be issued to raise the ceiling.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Friday signed an emergency determination that officials said would speed refugee admissions to the U.S., but he did not immediately lift his predecessor’s historically low cap of 15,000 refugees for this year.
Biden, instead, is adjusting the allocation limits set by former President Donald Trump, which officials said have been the driving factor in limiting refugee admissions. The new allocations provide more slots for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America, and lift Trump’s restrictions on resettlements from Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
Since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, just over 2,000 refugees have been resettled in the U.S. A senior administration official said Biden’s new allocations could result in speedier admissions of already screened and vetted refugees in a manner of days.