Refugee families urge Biden to keep promise

SAN DIEGO — The families of refugees and their supporters, including 124 elected officials, sent President Joe Biden a letter Tuesday urging him to make good on his promise to boost refugee admissions to the United States during the current budget year, replacing the record low number set by his predecessor.

Mr. Biden presented a plan to Congress two months ago to raise the ceiling on admissions to 62,500 and to eliminate restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump that have disqualified a significant number of refugees, including those fleeing war.

But Mr. Biden has not issued a presidential determination since his administration notified Congress, as required by law. The action does not require congressional approval and past presidents have issued such presidential determinations that set the cap on refugee admissions shortly after the notification to Congress.

The Biden administration has given no explanation as to why the president has kept the refugee admissions cap of 15,000 set by Mr. Trump, the lowest it has been in the 41-year-old U.S. Refugee Resettlement program’s history. The White House had no immediate response to the letter Tuesday.

“This continues to have a devastating impact on people in dire need of humanitarian protection,” states the letter signed by the families of refugees, resettlement agencies and 124 state and local elected officials from 35 states.

Only about 2,050 refugees have been allowed in to the United States because of the restrictions set by Mr. Trump, agencies said.

Every day that passes without any action “leaves hundreds of refugee families in limbo in refugee camps and many waiting to be reunited with their loved ones here in the U.S. waiting for us to uphold our promise to protect,” the letter states.