Data not yet in will likely show greater numbers through June and July because, in May, the Biden administration expanded the SMO program to add Hondurans and Salvadorans for a total of nine nations whose citizens can now be considered for U.S. refugee status.
Historically, the U.S. bestows the highly desired refugee status on grounds that recipients credibly claim they cannot return home due to a "Well-founded fear" of persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, according to USCIS, whose personnel are staffing the SMO foreign offices in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other UN agencies.
"The Safe Mobility initiative is one of the many ways the United States is facilitating access to safe and lawful pathways from partner countries in the region at no cost, so refugees and vulnerable migrants don't have to undertake dangerous journeys in search of safety and better opportunities," one State Department release explained last year.
In the first half of FY2024, October 2023 through March 2024, more refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean were admitted than in any previous full year.
"These refugee applicants undergo the same rigorous and multi-layered interagency screening and vetting process as all other refugees and, if eligible, most will arrive in the United States in just a matter of months," the State Department's Marta Youth testified.
Should another Democrat win office, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, expect further expansion of the refugee program in Latin America, as well as the other two humanitarian parole programs.
I expect further increases in the Latin America refugee allocation beyond 50,000 to meet the far greater demand for its benefits, as well as more SMO offices in both existing countries and new ones in Latin America.
No comments:
Post a Comment