Biden moves to raise refugee cap to as much as 62,500

President Biden on Monday “reversed himself and said he would allow as many as 62,500 refugees to enter the United States during the next six months, eliminating the sharp limits that President Donald J. Trump imposed on those seeking refuge from war, violence or natural disasters,” the New York Times reported on May 3.

Biden is raising the cap from 15,000 to 62,500 “after outrage from progressives and refugee agencies,” the BBC reported.

Refugee resettlement agencies “have waited for Biden to quadruple the number of refugees allowed into the United States this year since Feb. 12, when a presidential proposal was submitted to Congress saying he planned to do so,” the Associated Press reported.

Since the fiscal year began last 1 October, just over 2,000 refugees have been resettled in the U.S., the Guardian reported.

“It is important to take this action today to remove any lingering doubt in the minds of refugees around the world who have suffered so much, and who are anxiously waiting for their new lives to begin,” Biden said in a May 3 statement.

The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year. We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take s”ome time, but that work is already underway. We have reopened the program to new refugees. And by changing the regional allocations last month, we have already increased the number of refugees ready for departure to the United States,” Biden said.