President Joe Biden said on Monday he has resurrected a plan to raise refugee admissions this year to 62,500 after initially keeping the refugee cap at a historically low level.
In a statement, Biden said his action "Erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America's values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees."
Biden's flip-flopping drew the ire of refugee advocates and some Democratic lawmakers.
Trump steadily slashed the size of the refugee program during his term in office, and Biden officials say the cuts have made quickly raising admissions more difficult.
The allocations for the increased cap matched an earlier plan Biden sent to Congress, according to a memo signed by Biden.
A White House official said Biden now wanted to raise the cap regardless of capacity limitations to "Send a very clear message that refugee processing is a critical part of America's place in the world," acknowledging the initial lower announcement "Did not send the right message."
Delays in Biden's decision-making on the issue led to hundreds of canceled flights for refugees already cleared to travel to the United States, often after years of waiting, refugee groups said.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/heeding-complaints-biden-lifts-refugee-cap-to-62500_3801014.html
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