President Joe Biden promised to rebuild the refugee program when he took office.
While the United States has accepted more than 175,000 people fleeing war and oppression in the last year alone, the vast majority are not designated as refugees but admitted under a program that prevents them from obtaining permanent legal residency.
In a letter sent Monday, a majority of Senate Democrats urged Biden to revive the refugee program and set a robust target for the coming fiscal year. Dick Durbin of Illinois is one of the signatories.
Over 15000 refugees have been resettling in the US since last October, well below the cap of 125,000 set by Biden. In 1980, when the modern refugee program began, more than 207,000 people were resettling in the US, but in 2021, the number fell to less than 11,500.
Although people fleeing their homeland are often referred to as "refugees" when they come to the US, legally the term only applies to those who have first gone to another country to apply for refugee status in the US
Tens of thousands of Afghans were flown out of the country to US military bases after the collapse of the government. As of June, 79,000 people were living in the US, with at least 72,500 doing so under the conditions of humanitarian parole.
More than 100,000 Ukrainians have come to the US since the Russian invasion, but only 500 of them are refugees, according to CBS News.
The Senate Democrats wrote a letter stating that the success of the initiatives shows the government's ability to offer protection to vulnerable people fleeing war and persecution. The United States has a robust, functioning, durable refugee resettling system.
Tell us about a news story. C Davis is the reporter for Insider.
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