On Monday, September 20th, the Biden administration announced plans to increase the 2022 refugee admissions goal to 125,000. We applaud this step in the right direction from the administration, but it is just that- a step, and frankly, not a big enough one.
In the wake of several crises that have forcibly displaced individuals and families from many regions and counties — notably Haiti, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tigray/Ethiopia — we call on the Administration to set a higher admissions goal and commit to rebuilding a robust refugee resettlement program. Voice for Refuge is urging the President to reconsider the 2022 admissions goal and setting it higher, to 200,000, to adequately respond to the humanitarian needs of this moment. We are also joining the call to ask that congress take the necessary steps to rebuild our resettlement infrastructure by allocating the necessary funding to all resettlement programs.
TAKE ACTION: CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
Unfortunately, we also watched this week as Biden’s preservation of Trump’s policies resulted in horrific scenes from a camp of Haitian asylum seekers in Del Rio, Texas. President Biden’s use of Title 42, a Trump era policy, to expel Haitans exercising their right to seek asylum, resulted in terrifying images and human rights abuses. Even now, 3-6 deportation flights are leaving daily, deporting families of legal asylum seekers.
Follow our partner Families Belong Together to join the movement to #EndTitle42:
JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO #ENDTITLE42
We’re calling on the Biden administration to take action. It must guarantee protection to the millions of forcibly displaced refugees and asylum seekers. Join us in calling on the administration to protect refugees and asylum seekers though restoring the Cuban-Haitian Entrant Program (CHEP) to provide reception, processing, and resettlement services to Haitian arrivals, ending immoral and unlawful Title 42 expulsions, setting the FY 2022 refugee admissions goal to 200,000, and rebuilding and robustly funding thed refugee resettlement program.