Biden administration plans to keep 125 thousand refugees next year

Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration plans to maintain its goal of accepting 125,000 refugees next year, according to an internal report to lawmakers seen by Reuters, indicating the surge will continue if Kamala Harris wins the White House.

The Biden administration is on track to bring in 100,000 people through the Refugee Admissions Program in fiscal year 2024, which ends Sept. 30, according to the previously unreported document. If achieved, it would be the highest level in three decades.

Immigration is a top concern for voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election, which will pit Harris, a Democrat and Biden’s vice president, against Republican Donald Trump. Trump greatly reduced refugee admissions during his presidency from 2017 to 2021 and has promised a broad immigration crackdown if re-elected.

The State Department, the White House, the Harris campaign and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Refugee Admissions Program is generally available to individuals who are outside their home countries and are facing persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Applicants must be outside the United States to be eligible for this status.

Biden’s first goal was to achieve 125,000 refugee admissions in fiscal year 2022, an ambitious target that has remained elusive even after years of ramping up refugee processing.

The Biden administration has also increased refugee intakes from Latin America, part of a strategy to provide more legal pathways into the region amid record levels of displacement.

More than 16,000 refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean have entered the United States from October 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024, according to data from the State Department.

In the report to lawmakers, the State Department and other agencies said the refugee plan “builds on the long and enduring history of American communities providing a warm welcome to those fleeing persecution.”