Biden government wants to admit more refugees after criticism

His government announced on Friday that it would temporarily stick to the historically low maximum of 15,000 that previous President Donald Trump had decided. This has led to fierce criticism from other party members and human rights defenders, the US media write.

The White House overturned the decision after just a few hours. The press spokeswoman said “some confusion” had arisen over the limit on the number of refugees. Biden is now unveiling a new ceiling for refugees by May 15, which will likely exceed Trump’s 15,000.

Refugee ceiling

A ceiling of 15,000 refugees would mean thousands of refugees stranded in foreign camps, writes The New York Times. US authorities have already authorized some 33,000 recognized refugees to come to the United States. They are now awaiting their turn in countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Jordan.

Democrats had reacted angrily to the news that Biden wanted to stick to his predecessor’s limit. “There is no excuse for the shameful decision taken today,” said Representative Ilhan Omar, who herself spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya. Senator Robert Menendez called the ceiling “terribly low.”

Accuse the finger

The government said earlier this year that it wanted to bring more than 62,000 refugees to the United States, but according to the White House, that probably won’t work anymore. The spokeswoman pointed an accusing finger at the previous government, which allegedly “decimated” the refugee program.

Critics do not find this argument very credible, writes The Washington Post. They suspect it is also a factor in the government’s concern over criticism it faces over the influx of refugees to the southern border. Many migrants from Latin America travel to the United States via Mexico. Republicans call this the “Biden border crisis.”