In mid-April, the Biden administration suggested that it would give in to the demands of the far-left by significantly raising America’s refugee cap.
Breitbart reports that President Joe Biden on Monday confirmed that he will do so, announcing 62,500 as the new refugee cap for the 2021 fiscal year.
“I now determine, consistent with my Administration’s prior consultation with the Congress, that raising the number of admissions permissible for FY 2021 to 62,500 is justified by grave humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest,” Biden said on Monday.
He added that this increase of America’s refugee cap “sends the important message that the United States remains a safe harbor for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.”
Background
In mid-April, the New York Times released a report indicating that the Biden administration intended to maintain the refugee cap at the level – 15,000 – set by former President Donald Trump during the final year of his term. This announcement went against a previous one made by Biden indicating that he would raise the cap during his first year in office.
The New York Times suggested that Biden’s officials were instrumental in this decision. The outlet, in fact, reported that some in the Biden administration were concerned that his unpopular immigration and border policies had “become major distractions.”
Soon after the release of the New York Times’ report, Biden was hit with criticism from the far left. This criticism was led by several Democrats in Congress as well as various advocacy groups, including FWD.us, a group created by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“At some of our best moments, America has been a beacon of hope and a nation that actively seeks to welcome those seeking refuge—and at some of our worst, we turned our back on those very people in their time of greatest need … today’s decision is not only morally wrong, but will make the forced migration situation from Central America worse,” the group said in a statement, adding, “we strongly urge President Biden to reverse this decision and commit to his prior promises to rebuild America’s refugee program.”
Biden gives in
After the criticism started, it didn’t take long for Biden to cave on the issue. The White House quickly released a statement saying that Biden expects to increase the refugee cap by May.
On Monday, Biden followed through on that statement, raising the refugee cap from 15,000 to 62,500 for the 2021 fiscal year.
And, he isn’t going to stop there.
Biden had previously told Congress that he expects to raise America’s refugee cap to 125,000 by the end of the 2022 fiscal year. There is every indication that he will also follow through with that goal.
The post Pres. Biden quadruples America’s refugee cap first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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