“We’ll do all we can to help [get to 125,000] — and to hold the administration accountable.”
(Did you get that Joe? A little threat from Melanie Nezer!)
I guess they aren’t too annoyed that he isn’t going to flood America with poverty at least for the next few months. Maybe even Biden is wise enough to know that it would be a bridge-too-far for MOST Americans who are suffering due to the China virus hysterics.
Biden’s promise of 125,000 is for next fiscal year (2022) which begins on October 1, 2021. We haven’t admitted that many refugees since 1992, so Biden will be beating Barack on that score.
Prior to the Trump administration, HIAS and the other eight resettlement contractors*** resettled large numbers of Somali Muslims living in Kenya and chosen for the US by the UN.
However, for policy wonks who have followed the Refugee Admissions Program for over a decade, the flow will be creeping in shortly because there is a provision in the Refugee Act of 1980 which allows the Prez to change the cap during the year if he/she sees a need.
HIAS says Biden will follow the law and “consult” with Congress as he makes a case that he should begin raising Trump’s 15,000 cap right now. Consult does not mean Congress can say no, but they won’t say no anyway.
An astute readers suggested that Biden will use the coming months to send massive amounts of federal money (your money!) out to the contractors so they can get their offices up and running to ‘welcome’ the New Americans.
Biden Administration Announcements on Refugees Are Welcome News
WASHINGTON — In the first days of the Biden administration, HIAS has been encouraged by the new president’s swift and positive actions to welcome refugees. His pledge today to raise the annual refugee admissions cap in consultation with Congress is another much-needed step toward repairing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and making our immigration system more humane.
HIAS’s Melanie Nezer. Gee what is that little symbol in the left hand corner of the pic?
The annual refugee admissions cap — also called the Presidential Determination, or PD — was cut during every year of the Trump administration, setting a new record low each time.
For Fiscal Year 2021, the PD stood at just 15,000. President Biden has promised to consult with Congress and raise the PD before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, allowing more people in desperate need of safety to come to the United States as quickly as possible. The administration has said it will fulfill President Biden’s campaign promise to raise the PD to 125,000, its highest level in more than two decades, during FY22.
“President Biden has stated formally and in no uncertain terms that U.S. humanitarian leadership is back,” said Melanie Nezer, HIAS’ senior vice president of public affairs. “Rebuilding the resettlement system the prior administration nearly broke won’t be easy. The refugee resettlement program must bring people to safety, protect national security, and integrate people across the country, all in a contentious political environment and during a global pandemic. Despite these challenges, the president has made clear he intends to get there. We’ll do all we can to help — and to hold the administration accountable.”
*** For new readers here they are, the America Lasterswho want more refugees as the ones they previously resettled are struggling in the Chinese virus lockdown (as are many low income Americans!).
