Biden set to accept more refugees after years of Trump restrictions

[webfact]

Biden set to accept more refugees after years of Trump restrictions

By Ted Hesson and Steve Holland

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a foreign policy address as Vice President Kamala Harris listens during a visit to the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he plans to raise annual refugee admissions to 125,000 in the coming fiscal year, a more than eight-fold increase after former President Donald Trump slashed levels to historic lows.

 

Biden also called for dozens of changes to U.S. refugee processing and vetting in a detailed executive order that advocates lauded on Thursday. During a speech at the U.S. State Department, the Democratic president said the order would build up the country's capacity to accept refugees in the face of "unprecedented global need."

 

Biden has pledged to restore the United States' historic role as a country that welcomes refugees from around the world after four years of cuts to admissions under Trump. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates there are 1.4 million refugees worldwide in urgent need of resettlement.

 

During his presidency, Trump portrayed refugees as a security threat and a drain on U.S. communities as he took a series of measures to restrict legal immigration.

 

Biden is confronting a refugee program hobbled by Trump's policies, which led to the closure of resettlement offices and the reassignment of program staffers. Trump's actions also disrupted the pipeline of refugees to the United States, a situation exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Biden said the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions - up from 15,000 this year under Trump - would be for the coming fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, 2021.

 

"It's going to take time to rebuild what has been so badly damaged," Biden said. "But that's precisely what we're going to do."

 

Biden also intends to propose increasing the refugee ceiling for this year following a consultation with Congress, according to a White House fact sheet released on Thursday.

 

Refugee backers praised Biden's executive order, which they said would speed up refugee processing and remove barriers that blocked some applicants.

 

"This is a laundry list of everything advocates have said was wrong with the program," said Jennifer Quigley, director of refugee advocacy with the New York City-based Human Rights First. "We’ve identified problems and this is providing the solutions."

 

ROLE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The executive order called for a review of the Special Immigrant Visa program for refugees who aided U.S. interests in Iraq and Afghanistan to determine whether there have been "undue delays" for applicants.

 

The Trump administration carved out 4,000 spots for Iraqi refugees in its 2020 cap for admissions but only 537 were resettled in the fiscal year, which ended in September.

 

More than 9,800 Iraqis came to the United States in the 2016 fiscal year before Trump took office.

 

Some veterans groups had pressed the government to do more to help resettle military interpreters and other personnel who faced danger for helping U.S. troops abroad.

 

Biden's order highlighted the role of climate change in the displacement of people around the world, calling on heads of several U.S. agencies to produce a report on the matter with 180 days.

 

Biden also rescinded several restrictive Trump policies, including a 2019 order that required U.S. states and localities to consent to receive refugees.

 

The rollback of that Trump order will be partly symbolic since a Maryland-based federal judge blocked it nationwide more than a year ago, a decision that was upheld in January by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

In the executive order, Biden called for a senior director at the National Security Council to be appointed to coordinate U.S. agencies that deal with refugees, a move that could give refugee backers a stronger voice in the White House.

 

The moves positioned Biden to return to a refugee policy more closely aligned with former President Barack Obama, who Biden served as vice president. Obama set a goal of admitting 110,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017. But Trump cut that number by more than half after taking office months later and steadily reduced refugee admissions in each year of his presidency that followed.

 

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a Republican with hardline immigration views, criticized Biden's planned refugee increase in a written statement, saying it would "put American jobs and safety at risk during a pandemic."

 

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a Maryland-based refugee resettlement agency, said in a statement that Biden's decision to raise the refugee ceiling would be "life-saving for hundreds of thousands fleeing violence and persecution."

 

(Reporting by Ted Hesson, Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis, Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-05

 

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[skorp13]

Nice to see where my tax dollars are going as we continue to suffer

[herwin1234]

And the good news is that all these refugees are highly educated people with modern values and will greatly apreciate what their host country did for them and become assets to their new country....

 

Glad to see Thailand has more brains and keeps it borders closed.

[dlclark97]

 One of two things Trump accomplished that Biden is destroying.  No problems with immigrants coming to USA but NO free handouts and presence controlled as in Thailand with 90 day (60 would be better) in person reporting and more until they can speak basic English achieve their legal citizenship.  The other was shutting down the pipeline.  Contracts were firm, much material had been purchased and some work completed.  Many persons already struggling with the pandemic are now in the unemployment lines.   The oil will still be transported by some means that will be more damaging to the environment.  

Edited February 5, 2021 by dlclark97

[billd766]

8 hours ago, skorp13 said:

Nice to see where my tax dollars are going as we continue to suffer

What are you suffering from?

[Isaan sailor]

Homeless veterans, millions of Americans out of work, and this 78-year old wants to add more refugees?  What’s wrong with Joe Biden now?

[Surelynot]

2 hours ago, dlclark97 said:

 One of two things Trump accomplished that Biden is destroying.  No problems with immigrants coming to USA but NO free handouts and presence controlled as in Thailand with 90 day (60 would be better) in person reporting and more until they can speak basic English achieve their legal citizenship.  The other was shutting down the pipeline.  Contracts were firm, much material had been purchased and some work completed.  Many persons already struggling with the pandemic are now in the unemployment lines.   The oil will still be transported by some means that will be more damaging to the environment.  

The rollback of that Trump order will be partly symbolic since a Maryland-based federal judge blocked it nationwide more than a year ago, a decision that was upheld in January by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

[Credo]

4 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Homeless veterans, millions of Americans out of work, and this 78-year old wants to add more refugees?  What’s wrong with Joe Biden now?

But yet Trump had 4 years to take care of those problems and didn't.  So, I fail to see your point.

 

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Homeless veterans, millions of Americans out of work, and this 78-year old wants to add more refugees?  What’s wrong with Joe Biden now?

I imagine of the 125,000 he lets in 124,999 will be new Democrats voters.

 

Voters - plain and simple

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

I imagine of the 125,000 he lets in 124,999 will be new Democrats voters.

 

Voters - plain and simple

Conspiracy theory, plain and simple.

I have met many former refugees over the years.

They are often die hard republicans. 

[Jingthing]

Choosing President Biden over the disgraced twice impeached xenophobic demagogue he soundly beat was as advertised, a contest for the SOUL of the nation. For the very identity of the nation. America is a land of immigrants. It is not Thailand. America's identity is that we invite at least a reasonable number of refugees to bring new blood to the American dream. President Biden's vision of what America is about won. For the losing side, there are elections coming in the future. 

[simple1]

9 hours ago, dlclark97 said:

 One of two things Trump accomplished that Biden is destroying.  No problems with immigrants coming to USA but NO free handouts and presence controlled as in Thailand with 90 day (60 would be better) in person reporting and more until they can speak basic English achieve their legal citizenship.  The other was shutting down the pipeline.  Contracts were firm, much material had been purchased and some work completed.  Many persons already struggling with the pandemic are now in the unemployment lines.   The oil will still be transported by some means that will be more damaging to the environment.  

 

The OP is in regards to refugee intake, not immigration. During the trump presidency, trump made a mockery of commitment to Human Rights, including resettlement of those who had supported the US in it's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan thereby putting them at great risk.

 

Whilst it is off Topic, Thailand does support refugee camps, but does not provide a path to resettlement as is not a signatory to applicable international conventions nor legal processes. Accordingly asylum seekers in Thailand have no hope, some have already, in effect, been imprisoned for decades. Thailand also has ethnic tribes who are Stateless, presumably you're also OK with this cruelty.

 

Off Topic the Keystone pipeline has now received go ahead from the Senate.

[Tug]

9 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Homeless veterans, millions of Americans out of work, and this 78-year old wants to add more refugees?  What’s wrong with Joe Biden now?

Absolutely nothing he is living up to the promise of the American ideal we are an inclusive country not an exclusive country he is working towards covid relief for the out of work vets and non vets as well

Edited February 6, 2021 by Tug

[Sujo]

45 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Too much sniffing women's hair, as widely reported. Fogs the brain.

And he still won, shows how bad trump was, he couldnt beat a geriatric hair sniffer.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Sujo

[billd766]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I imagine of the 125,000 he lets in 124,999 will be new Democrats voters.

 

Voters - plain and simple

I think that you imagine incorrectly. I also think that your prediction is little more than a wild a**ed guess.

 

It took me 3 minutes on Google to find this below.

 

Until they have become Naturalised US Citizens they will be unable to vote in ANY Federal elections.

 

https://www.thoughtco.com/can-i-vote-1951751

 

Naturalized U.S. Citizens
A naturalized U.S. citizen is a person who was formerly a citizen of a foreign country before moving to the U.S., establishing residency, and then applying for citizenship. It's a process that takes years, and citizenship is not guaranteed. But immigrants who are granted citizenship have the same voting privileges as a natural-born citizen.

What does it take to become a naturalized citizen? For starters, a person must establish legal residence and live in the U.S. for five years.2 Once that requirement has been met, that person may apply for citizenship. This process includes a background check, an in-person interview, as well as a written and oral test. The final step is taking an oath of citizenship before a federal official. Once that's done, a naturalized citizen is eligible to vote.

 

Permanent Residents and Other Immigrants
Permanent residents are noncitizens living in the U.S. who have been granted the right to live and work permanently but do not have American citizenship. Instead, permanent residents hold Permanent Resident Cards,3 commonly known as a Green Card. These individuals are not allowed to vote in federal elections, although some states and municipalities, including Chicago and San Francisco, allow Green Card holders to vote.4 Undocumented immigrants are not allowed to vote in elections.

[Neeranam]

21 hours ago, herwin1234 said:

And the good news is that all these refugees are highly educated people with modern values and will greatly apreciate what their host country did for them and become assets to their new country....

 

Glad to see Thailand has more brains and keeps it borders closed.

Indeed, hear hear.

 

I'd be furious if I were a US person. 

[Rimmer]

A troll meme has been removed also a post and replies dragging UK into the topic

[placeholder]

On 2/5/2021 at 2:45 PM, herwin1234 said:

And the good news is that all these refugees are highly educated people with modern values and will greatly apreciate what their host country did for them and become assets to their new country....

 

Glad to see Thailand has more brains and keeps it borders closed.

You actually believe that Thailand keeps its border closed? Where were you when it was announced that undocumented Burmese immigrants working in the seafood industry had reignited Covid in Thailand? And it's not just in the seafood industry that these immigrants working. Just because there are laws against it, doesn't mean it isn't occurring. And in big numbers.

[skorp13]

On 2/5/2021 at 1:25 PM, skorp13 said:

Nice to see where my tax dollars are going as we continue to suffer

If you scroll up to my post there has been an interesting mix of reactions. I found it fascinating as there were mixed emotions on something i thought was very clear. Just goes to show, jus sayin'

[placeholder]

On 2/5/2021 at 1:25 PM, skorp13 said:

Nice to see where my tax dollars are going as we continue to suffer

And if you're a US taxpayer, do you expect to agree with all policies that the government enacts? It may surprise you to learn that there are taxpayers who are fine with this policy. In fact, if the polls are to be believed, there are more of them than there are those who share your opinion.

[skorp13]

21 hours ago, placeholder said:

And if you're a US taxpayer, do you expect to agree with all policies that the government enacts? It may surprise you to learn that there are taxpayers who are fine with this policy. In fact, if the polls are to be believed, there are more of them than there are those who share your opinion.

Yes i am a U.S. tax payer and i am not ok with giving it randomly to those that have entered illegally and not contributed their share in the wake of putting proper citizens out of work

 

 

[Sujo]

5 minutes ago, skorp13 said:

Yes i am a U.S. tax payer and i am not ok with giving it randomly to those that have entered illegally and not contributed their share in the wake of putting proper citizens out of work

 

 

How on earth can they be illegal. This is about the govt accepting refugees.

 

They are fully legal and are a net gain for society. Fact.

 

I suggest your complaints are better placed worrying about trump using 500m of your taxes to fight conspiracy election fraud theories.