Refugee Congress Calls on the Biden Administration to Continue Rebuilding US Refugee Admissions Program
Refugee Congress Calls on the Biden Administration to Continue Rebuilding US Refugee Admissions Program
For Immediate Release: September 29
On September 27, President Biden signed a refugee admissions goal of 125,000 for the 2023 fiscal year. While we are heartened by the administration’s stated commitment to rebuilding our US Refugee Admissions Program, and recognize the administration’s commitment to welcoming more than 105,000 Afghans and Ukrainians through temporary protection pathways, we fell far short of this same commitment to resettling 125,000 refugees during the current fiscal year.
“I am encouraged that the current administration has renewed its commitment to resettling 125,000 refugees this fiscal year, despite not coming close to this same goal in FY2022,” said Lourena Gboeah,Refugee Congress Board Chair. We urge the administration to work diligently to improve resettlement processing and to consider families waiting to be reunified with their loved ones, as well as those who have been waiting years for their cases to be cleared. As an organization built and led by refugees, asylees and other vulnerable migrants, we know firsthand that the refugee resettlement program is a critical life-saving program that provides refugees a chance to build a new life, away from unsafe conditions.”
For the administration to truly commit to rebuilding the US Refugee Admissions Program, it is crucial that they work in partnership with community leaders and resettlement agencies to continue to strengthen services and programs for newly arrived refugees, and with Congress to ensure the program receives sufficient funding to meet the FY2023 goal.
“I am grateful that America assisted me and my family to integrate in this wonderful country and I applaud the government for its commitment to continue to welcome refugees,” said Drocella Mugorewera, Refugee Congress Board Member and Honorary Delegate from Tennessee. “I urge the government to provide the same financial support to refugees as those provided for parolees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. Further, considering the scarcity of affordable housing and transportation challenges. Special funds should be allocated to daycare to allow women to go to work , provide for themselves and families and learn new things and build relationships. Employee retention is a big problem nationwide. Increasing administrative funds will allow affiliate agencies to attract and retain qualified workers.”
American support for displaced people is strong
The response to the crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine shows that American support for welcoming refugees is widespread and robust, and that the United States is more than capable of meeting a resettlement target of 125,000. Since August 2021, the United States has welcomed more than 100,000 Afghan evacuees and Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, thanks to a combination of government and private support. In the coming year, the Biden Administration must mobilize all available resources to ensure that all populations in need of resettlement and asylum are granted the protection and welcome they deserve.
Global need has never been greater
The world is facing the greatest forced displacement crisis in human history, with more than 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide and nearly 1.5 million in urgent need of resettlement. Although we support the administration’s desire to respond swiftly to the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine, it is imperative that we not neglect those refugees who have been languishing in the USRAP referral pipeline. Eritrean, Rohingya, Syrian, Honduran, and other refugees are equally deserving of a safe place to call home. The administration’s growing refugee backlog must be addressed equitably and swiftly.
“In most cases, our families are separated and left behind overseas. The process to get through approval takes many years, leaving families and friends separated and disconnected. This leads to high mental and financial depression as individuals brought to the U.S. have the responsibility of supporting themselves and taking care of our left behind families in camps,” said Emma Yaaka, former refugee and Refugee Congress Delegate from Illinois. “I thank the President and all the citizens of America for hearing our requests and paying attention to our tears. We will continue to advocate for and take in more refugees, for safety for all is what matters when lives are being saved”
"We are refugees, immigrants, and asylees who came to America for different reasons and issues. We came here because we view America as a haven, a land of peace, justice, and opportunity,” said Khamisa Abdalla, Refugee Congress Delegate from Missouri. “I am a single mother of 7 children (6 boys and 1 girl) who was forced to leave her homeland, after her husband was driven out from Sudan. I came to America with tremendous expectations and dreams. Today, all my children got their higher education. They are all working with passion to help our communities to transfer their skills, knowledge, and culture to contribute to the US economy and society. Please support them, support the refugees, immigrants, and asylees. They are good people with big hearts and love for their new home, America."
“It is our responsibility, in face of great injustices in this war-torn world, to do our best to allow for those who want a better life, an opportunity to have a better life,” said Dianne Mogilevsky Carty, Refugee Congress Delegate from Missouri. “President Biden acknowledged this by signing the current PD and letting the world know that the USA will support those who ask.”
The US Refugee Admissions Program must be rebuilt
The only way to ensure the world’s most vulnerable continue to find safe haven in the United States is to invest in rebuilding a lasting, robust resettlement program. The US resettlement infrastructure was decimated as a result of dramatic reductions in refugee admissions under the Trump Administration and is still recovering. In order to achieve this target of resettling 125,000 refugees, Congress must approve an appropriations package that not only adequately funds the US resettlement network but helps to rebuild its overseas processing infrastructure.
“One thing we have learned from the events of this past year: The US can be and should be a place of welcome," said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Refugee Congress Executive Director. "Though the administration did not meet this same admissions goal during FY 2022, this renewed commitment to welcoming 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2023 is encouraging, and we must all work together to ensure we provide protection pathways equitably, and to truly rebuild and reinvest in the resettlement program, one of the core pillars of our humanitΩarian protection pathways."
Refugee Congress calls on the administration and Congress to work together to rebuild the capacity of the US Refugee Admissions Program and to restore US humanitarian leadership to meet the world’s growing resettlement needs for years to come.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 905-6238, media@refugeecongress.org
