President Joe Biden swiftly backtracked on Friday on a decision to keep United States refugee admissions restricted to 15,000 this 2021. He is currently facing criticism within his party. According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in a statement issued on Friday, the administration anticipated increasing the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. for the remainder of the year.
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On Friday, the White House declared that the President would restrict the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. this year to the historically low level set by his administration. He reversed a previous promise to welcome over 60,000 individuals escaping war and persecution.
However, the move to cap the number at 15,000 set forth such an immediate denouncement from human rights activists and Democrats that the administration then retreated and vowed to declare a final, increased number by May 15.
Biden's decision marked a break from his pledges on the campaign trail and in the White House. It also includes his more vast rhetorical commitment to hastily replace former President Donald Trump's nativist-fueled immigration policies with a more humane move. Critics denounced the administration more strongly than they have on any issue in his initial months in office. It prompted a retreat from the White House within hours.
According to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose family fled civil war in Somalia, "There are simply no excuses for today's disgraceful decision. It goes directly against our values and risks the lives of little boys and girls huddled in refugee camps around the world. I know, because I was one," reported Los Angeles Times.
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Previously on Friday, an emergency determination signed by the president indicated the admission of up to 15,000 refugees set by the previous president this year is still justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national concern. Biden had taken into consideration raising the cap to 62,500. Instead, he opted for a policy, officials remarked, that would accelerate the admissions process.
Psaki's clarification arrived hours following the White House, indicating it would maintain Trump's low cap first set. This statement broke a vow Biden uttered in February to raise the number and one that Psaki acknowledged that resulted in confusion. The episode marked a rare flip-flop-flip for Biden. His key allies had earlier heaped praise on the administration for vowing to rebuild the refugee resettlement program.
The secretary did not identify the number of refugees that would be permitted into the country. However, she stated the president's initial goal of allowing 62,500 appeared "unlikely." The wavering displayed the Biden administration's bout to find its footing as it attempts to reverse Trump's reportedly unfair immigration policies during a record surge of adolescents and children crossing the southwestern border.
According to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), she would like to reflect her deep concern regarding the extremely low refugee cap declared by the Biden administration. She finds it unexpected.
The number of refugees permitted to resettle in the United States per year decreased between 85,000 and 15,000 under Trump. Trump's hardline "America first" agenda repeatedly portrayed migrants as a security threat.
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