Washington, D.C. (July 30, 2024) – The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new report detailing the Biden administration’s efforts to "rebuild and strengthen" the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), alongside an analysis of the administration's Safe Mobility Office Initiative, launched in May 2023, which provides lawful pathways for migrants and refugees from Latin America through the U.S. refugee resettlement system.
The Center’s report, authored by CIS senior researcher Nayla Rush, describes the changes and expansion of USRAP under the Biden/Harris administration as outlined in a recent White House fact sheet. The administration anticipates admitting more than 100,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2024, the most in three decades.
Todd Bensman, the Center’s senior national security fellow and author of a companion post analyzing the Safe Mobility initiative, said, “The Biden/Harris administration's Safe Mobility Office Initiative marks a significant shift in U.S. refugee policy and raises concerns about the integrity of the program by resettling as refugees many people from Latin America who are seeking economic opportunities rather than fleeing persecution. The initiative's rapid processing times and generous benefits, including taxpayer-backed airfare, also make the program's long-term sustainability questionable.”
Changes reported by the White House, include:
- Historically High Refugee Admissions: Over 100,000 refugees expected by the end of FY 2024, the highest in three decades.
- Technology Upgrades: Enhanced systems for faster processing, including digitization and expanded video-teleconference interviews.
- Concurrent Processing: Streamlined overseas processing, reducing wait times significantly.
- Employment and Social Integration: New automated processes to speed the processing of Employment Authorization Documents and Social Security cards.
- Launch of a “private” sponsorship program, the Welcome Corps Initiative:
- Creation of the Welcome Corps on Campus: Bringing refugees to U.S. educational institutions.
- Creation of the Welcome Corps at Work: Connecting refugees with job opportunities in the U.S.
- Expanded Resettlement Efforts: Increased focus on refugees from Latin America, the Caribbean, and other vulnerable groups, including “LGBTQI+” individuals and human rights activists.
- Safe Mobility (SMO) Initiative: In partnership with UNHCR and IOM, opening offices in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala to provide lawful pathways for refugees and migrants (through refugee resettlement, family reunification, humanitarian parole and labor programs) to discourage individuals from crossing illegally at the border.
- Hiring of More than 300 Refugee Officers. The size of DHS’s refugee officer corps has more than tripled, and two additional USCIS international field offices have opened.
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