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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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