Joe Biden is expected to announce an increase in the number of refugees being admitted to the US

Joe Biden is expected to announce an increase in the number of refugees being admitted to the US

by
President Joe Biden, who pledged to raise the cap during the campaign, is expected to announce his intention to increase the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. during a State Department visit, according to one source. The Trump administration has set a refugee limit of 15,000 for this fiscal year, the lowest since 1980. It is unclear by how much the Biden government will increase the limit.

The refugee cap must be approved by the president. Biden has promised to set an annual admission ceiling of 125,000, although the plan is to wait until October, when the next financial year begins, according to one of the sources.

The increase in the refugee cap builds on a series of Biden executive actions aimed at setting a new course for U.S. immigration policy following the Trump administration’s tough approach.

The president on Tuesday signed three executive orders that largely outline the Trump-era policy, including setting up a task force designed to reunite families separated on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I’m not drafting new law, I’m eliminating bad policies,” Biden said in the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris. “This is about how America’s safer, stronger, more prosperous is if we have a just, orderly and humane legal immigration system.”

Prior to taking office, the admission of refugees was a focal point between the Biden Transition Team and the Department of Homeland Security, which plays a role in the process, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN earlier.

The administration annually sets a limit on how many refugees may be admitted to the US. Historically, the number of admissions varied according to world events, although it was generally high.

From the 1990 to 1995 financial year, many refugees arrived in the U.S., for example from the former Soviet Union, according to the Pew Research Center.

And in the last few years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the administration has raised the refugee ceiling from 85,000 in fiscal year 2016 to 110,000 in fiscal year 2017 amid the Syrian crisis.

This story was updated on Wednesday with additional information.

.Source