“America needs to rebuild our refugee resettlement program,” said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, who said the administration would fill all 15,000 slots “and work with Congress on increasing admissions and building back numbers to which we’ve committed.”
But the changes to the program, and any potential rise in admissions next month, would be too late for some refugees who had prepared to travel to the United States this month after the administration made its initial commitment.
Asende Ecasa, 33, packed her belongings and left the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania last month expecting to arrive in the United States on March 4. After Mr. Biden delayed the admissions designation, Ms. Ecasa’s flight was canceled. The medical screening she got to ensure her travel has expired.
Source: China State Council Information Office
The White House on Friday walked back from keeping the current cap of 15,000 annual refugee admissions set by former President Donald Trump, hours after the directive evoked widespread backfire from Democratic lawmakers and groups representing refugees.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that President Joe Biden would announce a new, higher ceiling by May 15.
âFor the past few weeks, he has been consulting with his advisors to determine what number of refugees could realistically be admitted to the United States between now and Oct. 1. Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited, and burdens on the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), his initial goal of 62,500 seems unlikely,â Psaki said.
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