Biden says administration will raise refugee cap in first comments after Friday s back and forth kvia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kvia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington [US], April 18 (ANI): US President Joe Biden on Saturday explained his initial decision to not increase the limit on refugee admissions to the United States stating that his administration "couldn't do two things at once".
US officials again scrambling to provide housing for migrant children
Adriana Gomez Licon and Amy Taxin
Associated Press
For the third time in seven years, U.S. officials are scrambling to handle a dramatic spike in children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border alone, leading to a massive expansion in emergency facilities to house them as more kids arrive than are being released to close relatives in the United States.
More than 22,000 migrant children are in government custody as of Thursday, with 10,500 sleeping on cots at convention centers, military bases and other large venues likened to hurricane evacuation shelters with little space to play and no privacy. More than 2,500 are being held by border authorities in substandard facilities.
Following Backlash, Biden Offers Reassurance On Refugee Admissions Limit
The White House was forced to issue an explanation on Friday following strong backlash to President Joe Biden s emergency presidential declaration leaving in place a Trump-era refugee admissions cap of just 15,000, despite promising months earlier to raise it to 62,500 for the rest of the fiscal year. For the past few weeks, [the president] has been consulting with his advisors to determine what number of refugees could realistically be admitted to the United States between now and October 1, press secretary Jen Psaki wrote. Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited, and burdens on the Office of Refugee Resettlement, his initial goal of 62,500 seems unlikely.