President Biden is ensuring that the United States remains a safe haven for refugees and that those seeking to immigrate to the country through humanitarian programs are treated with dignity and respect.
In an executive order dated February 4, 2021, Biden took steps to strengthen the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), a collaboration between the government and community groups that reflects America’s core value of welcoming the persecuted.
“The long tradition of the United States as a leader in refugee resettlement offers a beacon of hope for persecuted people around the world,” Biden states in the order.
Biden calls for the expansion of refugee admissions to help meet global needs, emphasizing the significant contributions of refugees to American society. The order also calls for minimizing processing delays in USRAP and other humanitarian programs that bring vulnerable people to the United States, adding that delays create humanitarian concerns and go against U.S. national interests.
Access to U.S. humanitarian programs is discretionary, although the order notes that all applicants should be treated with dignity and respect.
The order requests that U.S. refugee and aid programs:
- Expand access to the refugee program for those at greatest risk of persecution, including women and children, or those at risk of persecution because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
- Explore all available authorities for humanitarian protection for those who do not qualify as refugees under USRAP.
- Leverage community and private sponsorship of refugees while continuing to partner with resettlement agencies.
Additionally, Biden asked the National Security Advisor to study the impact of climate change on migration and identify options for the protection and resettlement of individuals, as well as proposals for how U.S. foreign assistance can mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a February 4, 2021, statement that Biden’s order sends a message that refugees are welcome in the United States. The president’s guidance will drive innovation and focus technical expertise to better detect fraud and streamline processing and decision-making, he added.
“In the coming months and years, we will rebuild and expand the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and other humanitarian programs to reflect our values as a nation,” Blinken said. “I share the president’s ambitious vision to restore these critical elements of U.S. leadership in global humanitarian affairs at a time when the world’s most vulnerable people need us most.”
Source: it.usembassy.gov
Photo 1: President Biden promises to expand the acceptance of refugees by the United States. A Syrian refugee in Amman, Jordan, helps his daughter with homework. (© Omar Akour/AP Images)