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U.S. Resumes Refugee Admissions After Temporary Pause

CNN reported that this week the United States will resume admissions of refugees to its country after an initial freeze. reportedOn Monday. Admissions StopThe U.S. government will be able to allocate resources in November 2021 for the processing and resettlement of tens or thousands of Afghan evacuees.

Only a few classes of refugee have been allowed to enter the country since November. EligibleTravel to the U.S. is possible for those with “urgent” cases or who are soon to expire after their medical and security screenings expired.

A spokesperson for the State Department stated that “as of January 11 there were no restrictions on refugeese travel.” Telled CNN. CNN.

Danilo Zak, policy and advocacy manager for the National Immigration Forum, stated that “our resettlement program was designed to safeguard the most vulnerable refugees worldwide, those still in danger even after fleeing persecution within their home country.” The end of the pause in resettlement is unambiguously good news.

The U.S. admitted11411 refugees were granted asylum in fiscal 2021. That’s well below the 62,500 cap for that year. It is the Lowest numberSince 1980’s passage of The Refugee Act, the U.S. established the current refugee system.

Zak states, “We have to question why our capacity continues to decline a year into Biden’s presidency.” How can we build a resilient and robust resettlement system capable of welcoming refugees and responding to humanitarian emergencies like the Afghan evacuation?

The Trump Administration’s decrease in refugee admissions is a major reason for the significant decline that President Joe Biden experienced during his first year of office. The Trump administration’s reduction in refugee admissions led to about 200,000 fewer refugees than under former President Donald Trump. one-thirdThere were reports of several local resettlement office closing down or ceasing to operate in the country. The low intake resulted from the poor infrastructure at agencies, as well as processing problems during the pandemic.

The already strained U.S. refugee program was further disrupted by the aforementioned in 2021. mass evacuationAfghanistan, and many other countries. Nearly 55,000 Afghans were interviewed. resettledAs of January 6, there were over 22,000 people still living on military bases across the nation.

Zak asserts that Biden’s administration hasn’t yet “justified” the decision to suspend resettlement with data, noting its delay in releasing basic information on resettlements. He continues, “We haven’t received refugee data for December from the administration so we don’t know how damaging this pause was.”

The U.S. and refugees will both benefit from the return to admissions. Refugees that have been granted permission for long-term resettlement are eligible to accept their invitations. This will allow them to escape any threat they may face. In the meantime, net international immigration to the U.S. added only 247,000 to the population between 2020 and 2021, the lowest level in decades—particularly concerning in the face of Permanent labor shortagesAnd Slow growth in the population. If the U.S. government is more attentive to processing migrants, international migration can be a solution.

Biden is now attempting to fulfill his campaign promise of increasing resettlement numbers above the Trump-era lows. However, the pace at which things are moving will be difficult to meet his goals. Although more than 2000 refugees arrived in America since November’s end, there is a cap of 125,000 for fiscal 2022.