Biden’s lack of concrete action on refugee policy needs to change
RITIKA MANATHARA: The White House recently announced that President Biden will reverse his decision to keep the refugee cap at 15,000 after an outburst of criticism from Democrats. Although he has asserted that he will increase the cap again, his lack of concrete action thus far on such a pressing issue needs to be addressed.
The state of refugees is one of the most critical current issues worldwide, with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimating that around 1.4 million refugees need resettlement. During Trump’s presidency, this issue was only worsened, as his policies restricted refugee entry to a historic low. It resulted in several resettlement offices closing, and the overall process is hindered.
Soon after being inaugurated, Biden made it clear that he would be rolling back many of the restrictions set in place during the Trump Administration, including a 2019 order requiring state consent for receiving refugees. Biden had originally stated that he planned to raise the cap to 62,500 but did not offer any timeline as to when the increase was supposed to happen. Why he did not solidify this decision is not completely clear. Still, some have said it is due to “political optics”— wanting to avoid creating additional issues that would harm his political image. By late in February, with the decision still not solidified, hundreds of refugees had been taken off flights or had their trips postponed despite being approved to come to the US. Biden’s inaction was criticized from several prominent Democrats, including Representatives Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, and Jan Schakowsky, who wrote a letter to Biden pushing for concrete action. The criticism was not just from lawmakers. It also came from activists such as Jenny Yang, the vice president for advocacy and policy at World Relief, who stated that “the program is effectively operating as if President Trump were still in office.”
After not acting on this original decision for two months, Biden then switched to a more limited plan, signing an executive order on April 16 to keep the refugee cap at its previous value of 15,000. This decision not only discouraged thousands of refugees who believed they could safely come to the US, it also meant “tens of thousands of already-cleared refugees remain barred from resettlement, and over 700 resettlement flights have been cancelled, leaving vulnerable refugees in uncertain limbo,” according to a report by the International Rescue Committee. With just 2,050 refugees accepted halfway through this fiscal year, Biden is set to accept the least refugees of any president. This decision lasted for mere hours as intense backlash caused the White House to release another statement saying they would increase the refugee cap—a decision more in line with Biden’s original plan. Even then, the administration still has not given concrete details on what the new policies will entail.
It is understandable why Biden would want to slowly integrate a new plan for allowing more refugees into the US after the stringent Trump administration. Especially during the current pandemic, it may take time to raise the cap, and sudden changes in any policy can yield suboptimal results. Additionally, there were other parts of Biden’s legislation on refugees that demonstrate a step in the right direction. Trump’s program was not region-based and often prevented Muslim and African refugees from entering the country; Biden changed that by setting quotas for refugees from each region, allowing for a better opportunity for entry.
However, the inaction for months after announcing his decision is what needs to change. Even now, the final refugee cap will not be sent until May 15, about three months after his initial claims supporting an increased cap. The administration’s attempt to retain the cap at 15,000 and their swift retreat from that position, coming only after the immense amount of backlash from lawmakers and activists, demonstrates that reforming the refugee system is not a priority for right now. Biden needs to take more direct action to ensure that refugees worldwide can and will receive the help they need.
Ritika Manathara is a freshman from New Jersey studying Government in the College.