The United States will take in 125,000 refugees a year

Joe Biden announced on Thursday his intention to multiply by eight the number of refugees who will be admitted to the United States compared to the historic low imposed by Donald Trump at the end of his term. 

AFP

"We are facing a crisis of more than 80 million displaced people suffering around the world," Biden said, announcing a presidential decree "to increase refugee admissions to 125,000 for the first full fiscal year" of the new administration, which will begin on October 1.

The new president is keeping his campaign promise under the resettlement programme, which covers only 15,000 people for the current fiscal year.

This historically low figure was announced almost a month before the November presidential election lost by Donald Trump, who had made the fight against immigration - legal and illegal - one of the hallmarks of his presidency.

Under his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, an average of 100,000 people were welcomed each year.

This programme only concerns refugees selected by US security and intelligence agencies in UN camps around the world for resettlement in the United States, mainly among the most vulnerable such as the elderly, widows and the disabled.

Joe Biden stressed that the resettlement programme would also protect members of the LGBT community. 

"We make sure we promote the rights of these people by fighting criminalization and protecting refugees and asylum seekers" belonging to this community, he said in a speech at the State Department.

"We have provided shelters for those fleeing violence and persecution, and our example has inspired other countries to open their doors wide," Joe Biden said in a speech at the State Department.

For years, the United States took in more refugees than all other countries combined, but Canada surpassed them in 2019 by opening its doors to more than 30,000 migrants, according to UN figures.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi welcomed the announcement.

"President Biden's action will save lives, it's as simple as that," he reacted in a statement. 

"It also shows that strength is rooted in compassion," he added, while according to the UN, the number of refugees hosted around the world has never been so low in two decades despite record levels of forced displacement, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: AFP