It feels good to do the right thing.
Today, months after promising to increase the record-low refugee resettlement cap set by the prior, anti-immigrant and anti-refugee administration, President Biden followed through on his promise. In addition to setting the goal to 62,500 for Fiscal Year 2021, he committed to setting an even larger goal of 125,000 for FY 2022.
Washington, DC – Repeal and strengthen, heal and transform. “This is the path to a new paradigm for U.S. immigration policy, one that centers human dignity rather than repression, coercion, and control,” said Peniel Ibe, Policy Engagement Coordinated with the American Friends Service Committee and Co-Director of the Interfaith Immigration […]
After the Biden administration announced last week that it would keep former President Trump’s historically low refugee admissions numbers of 15,000, it received significant and apparently unexpected pushback from people of faith, refugee advocacy groups, and immigrant rights groups, who challenged President Biden for breaking his promise to refugees.
The only way forward is for President Biden to restore the U.S. refugee resettlement program by welcoming as many refugees as possible this fiscal year, including by revising the admissions goal to the promised 62,500, and honoring his commitment to resettling 125,000 refugees in FY 2022.
There is a lot of news right now about asylum seekers, especially children, who are at the U.S./Mexico border. But this situation did not come about overnight; it has been building for years, exasperated by cruel and inhumane policies and an outdated immigration system that denies our shared humanity. In this moment, it is critical for people of faith and conscience to build awareness, work and pray for justice, and take action in solidarity with children and families seeking asylum.
