US President Joe Biden has decided to delay his plan for a major increase in the number of refugees admitted to the United States, and will maintain the historically low ceiling of 15,000 people, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday.
Joe Biden had previously said he wanted to admit up to 60,000 people this fiscal year, but ultimately retains the strict limit set by his predecessor Donald Trump, due to the need to “rebuild” the refugee admissions program, a said the US presidential adviser.
This program only concerns refugees selected by US security and intelligence agencies in UN camps around the world to be resettled in the United States, mainly among the most vulnerable such as the elderly, widows, or disabled. .
“We will use the 15,000 places provided by the new regulations and work with Congress to increase admissions and return to the numbers to which we have committed,” he detailed.
In February, the Democratic president announced his intention to increase by eight the number of refugees admitted to the United States, to increase it to 125,000 in the next fiscal year.
“We are determined to continue to increase the number of refugees” admitted to the United States, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.