US bishops hail Biden admin’s 125k refugee cap increase

Immigrants and refugees welcome sign WikiCommons/ Adam Jones

According to Catholic News Agency, on Monday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops shared their favorable response to the official raise of the refugee cap to 125,000.

USCCB Praised Biden Administration

On Oct. 11, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington and chairman of the USCCB's migration committee, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, issued a statement. 

Bishop Dorsonville stated the past few years had a distressing strike on refugee resettlement.

The bishop then praised the Biden administration for "seeking to reassert American leadership" for the refugees. Dorsonville added they are counting on a continuous movement for the advocacy of this goal.

The USCCB is also encouraging Congress 'to provide the resources' for restoring and prolonging the Refugee Admissions Program for the following years.

Bishop Dorsonville stated "whether fleeing war, natural disaster, or persecution," refugees' valuable contributions to society are recorded.

Dorsonville added the bishops of the United States "pledge" to have their "continued commitment to  this work."

Refugee Cap Halted in Fiscal Year 2021

A 62,500 refugee cap was set for the Fiscal Year 2021 by President Joe Biden before.

President Biden had promised to increase the refugee cap to 62,500 in February 2021. Yet, he did not issue a Presidential Determination for this figure until early May. 

In April 2021, refugee advocates criticized the process saying it was "effectively halted" despite the pledge to raise the number of refugees. 

According to the International Rescue Committee, only 2,050 refugees had entered the United States by late April 2021, a nonprofit assisting refugees.

Meanwhile, 11,411 refugees were only admitted to the United States in FY2021. 

Refugee Cap Officially Raised

On Sept. 20, the Biden administration increased the refugee admissions cap to 125,000 in fiscal 2022. This is to reach the target President Biden had set amid his presidential campaign, The Hill reports.

The State Department stated it had passed a report to congressional committees recommending an increased refugee admissions target from 62,500 in FY 2021 to 125,000 in FY 2022. 

The purpose is to address the "needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe." 

On Oct. 8, the Biden Administration had published a Presidential Determination for Fiscal Year 2022, increasing the refugee cap to 125,000.

This new refugee cap permits entry for up to 125,000 refugees in the United States through the U.S Refugee Admissions Program. However, it may not meet the target.

According to USA Today, the Fiscal Year 2021 started on Oct. 1.

The list below  is the division of refugee allocations by region:

  • 40,000 slots from Africa
  • 15,000 slots from East Asia
  • 10,000 slots from Europe and Central Asia
  • 15,000 slots from Latin America/Caribbean
  • 35,000 slots from Near East/South Asia

The 10,000 unallocated refugee numbers will have to be assigned to regional ceilings as needed, according to the White House

Biden also added in the memorandum, "the following persons may, if otherwise qualified, be considered refugees for admission to the United States within their countries of nationality or habitual residence."

  • People in Cuba
  • People in Eurasia and the Baltics
  • People in Iraq
  • People in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
  • Persons identified by a United States Embassy anywhere at a certain circumstances

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