**B Stands for Beseech**

Good afternoon,

During the presidential campaign and
his first weeks in office
,
President Biden assured the public that he would take swift action to
rebuild the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which was systematically
dismantled by the previous administration. In an emergency report

issued to Congress in February, the Biden administration proposed
raising the refugee cap from 15,000 - an all-time low - to 62,500
for the remainder of fiscal year 2021. Biden stated that welcoming more
refugees "is justified by grave humanitarian concerns and is otherwise
in the national interest."

Nearly two months have passed since President Biden issued this report,
and we are still waiting for action. The administration has offered no
explanation

for the delay, leaving refugee families, communities, and advocates
searching for answers. This puzzling decision not only has humanitarian
consequences, but serious national security implications as well.

Refugees often wait for years
,
in dangerous conditions, for authorization to travel to the United
States. As President Biden delays signing a new presidential
determination, over 700
vulnerable
refugees have had their flights canceled, prolonging their tenure in
refugee camps and delaying reunification with their families. This is
unacceptable and cannot continue .

On a larger scale, the longer we wait to address the backlog of vetted
and approved refugees - let alone the number of displaced persons
worldwide - the greater
the long-term risk to our national security. Displaced persons often
reside in countries mired in conflict, where a lack of systems and
resources to support vulnerable persons leaves them prone to bad actors
who target and exploit the helpless. As stated

by Elizabeth Neumann, Council on National Security and Immigration
leader and former DHS Assistant Secretary for
Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention, "I fear that [refugees] left to
languish in the queue for long periods of time could become vulnerable
to bad actors exploiting their resentment and hopelessness - creating
potential radicalization paths for the next generation of extremism and
terrorist recruits."

We applaud President Biden's bold intentions

to address multiple facets of our dated immigration system, including
the refugee resettlement program. And we acknowledge the difficult
challenge

the administration is facing at the southern border. However, we urge
President Biden to match words with actions and
swiftly raise the refugee ceiling. Please join us
in calling for the administration to improve
tens of thousands of lives and safeguard our national security
interests. 

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

**Adam Estle**
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. Join our monthly BBB Zoom Conversation this Friday, April 9th at 1
PM ET for an update on the humanitarian crisis at the border. We will be
joined by Council on National Security and Immigration
 Leaders, Elizabeth Neumann and Stewart Verdery
and the National Immigration Forum's Danilo Zak. Register here.

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

**MORNING CONSULT (Op-ed):** Don't Let the Humanitarian Crisis at the
Border Excuse Congressional Inaction on Immigration

**CNN:** Biden administration projects ongoing need for shelter
capacity for migrant children

**NPR: **The Border Patrol's New Migrant Child Care Cadre

**NBC NEWS:**Human smugglers use Facebook to connect with migrants and
spread false hope of reaching U.S.

**THE HILL: **Harris in difficult starring role on border
** **

 

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