From 2017 through 2020, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) was decimated while the global number of people forced to flee their homeland increased to 80 million, and the number of refugees exceeded 26 million. President Biden committed to “the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions in the first fiscal year of my presidency.” This number was later changed to 62,500 and, most recently, to 125,000.
In 2021, only 11,411 refugees of the 62,500 goal were admitted to the U.S., the lowest number since the program’s start in 1980. Such political wavering has significant effects on refugees waiting to be admitted and those already accepted for resettlement.
It’s time to act:
1. We call on President Biden to uphold his commitment to increasing refugee admission to at least 125,000.
2. The Refugee Admissions Program and the asylum system are not the same. We ask Policymakers and Secretary Becerra to address conditions at the border separately from the refugee admission.
3. We urge you to elevate refugee voices and join our efforts to advocate for refugee policies that are formed and implemented in a comprehensive rather than an ad-hoc manner.