‘A return to moral leadership’: Christian group celebrates Biden's proposal to raise refugee cap to 125K
A Christian humanitarian group commended the Biden administration for submitting a report to Congress to raise the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 people for the next fiscal year.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that the administration would raise the refugee admissions cap from 62,500 in the current fiscal year to 125,000 for fiscal year 2022, which begins on Oct. 1.
Church World Service, an immigrant and refugee resettlement organization that has 23 locations in 17 states, released a statement Monday praising the decision to increase the resettlement ceiling for refugees.
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Erol Kekic, who head's the organization's immigration and refugee program, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post that he believed the move to raise the resettlement cap represented “a return to moral leadership and our nation’s commitment to welcome and generosity.”
“At long last there is hope for refugees in search of safety, including Afghans who are in imminent danger and thousands of families waiting to be reunited,” Kekic said. “We urge Congress to hold the administration accountable to meeting the unprecedented protection needs during the worst displacement crisis in history.”
While CWS praised the Biden administration for increasing the number of refugees being admitted into the U.S., the organization took issue with Biden’s decision to deport some adult male Haitian refugees living in an encamped at a border bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Although some single men among the over 15,000 are being repatriated to their home countries, the Biden administration said family units who entered the country illegally will be allowed to remain in the U.S.
“CWS is deeply concerned by the increased deportation flights to Haiti under the immoral Title 42 policy and by the treatment of Haitians seeking refuge at the Southern border,” said the faith-based organization, which received over 55% of its funding from U.S. taxpayers in 2020.
“We urge the administration to honor our country’s moral and legal obligation to welcome all people with dignity.”
In a press release from Monday, the State Department announced that the administration was recommending that Congress raise the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 people for fiscal year 2022.
“A robust refugee admissions program is critical to U.S. foreign policy interests and national security objectives, and is a reflection of core American values,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“The United States has long been a global leader in refugee resettlement. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) reflects our tradition as a nation that has long welcomed immigrants and refugees.”
Initially, President Joe Biden had opted to maintain the Trump administration’s historically low resettlement cap of 15,000; however, after much criticism from multiple groups, Biden reversed course.
“We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already underway,” Biden said back in May in response to the Trump administration decreasing the number of refugees being admitted into the U.S.
“The United States Refugee Admissions Program embodies America’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable, and to stand as a beacon of liberty and refuge to the world. It’s a statement about who we are, and who we want to be.”
