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President Joe Biden announced on Monday an increase in the annual quota of refugees to 62,500, compared to the 15,000 that had been set by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and which had not been modified until now by the new Administration.
In a statement, Biden announced this decision which, he stresses, “erase” the limit of the previous administration, which “which did not reflect America’s values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees.”
Biden had received a barrage of criticism from several organizations, including his own party, the Democrats, when he suggested that Trump’s 15,000 refugee limit would be maintained, so he was pressured to increase the limit.
In Monday’s statement, Biden defended “acting” and thus ending “doubts,” and assured that the American Refugee Admissions Program commits this country to “protect the most vulnerable” and serve as a “beacon of liberty and refuge to the world.”
“It’s a statement about who we are, and who we want to be. So we are going to rebuild what has been broken and push hard to complete the rigorous screening process” for those already in pipeline for admission, he said.
He added that he remains committed to reaching 125,000 admissions in the first fiscal year of his presidency, although he acknowledged that it is an elusive goal and may not be achieved.
Nevertheless, the President assured that the government will use all the tools at its disposal to help refugees who complete all the procedures to escape the “horrible conditions” in which they live in their countries of origin.
