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Biden set to accept more refugees after years of Trump restrictions

05 February 2021 05:27 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. President Joe Biden will seek to raise annual refugee admissions to 125,000 in the coming fiscal year, he said on Thursday, a more than eight-fold increase after former President Donald Trump slashed levels to historic lows, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Speaking at the U.S. State Department, Biden also said he would approve an executive order on Thursday to build up the country’s capacity to accept refugees in the face of “unprecedented global need.”

Biden has pledged to restore the United States’ historic role as a country that welcomes refugees from around the world after four years of cuts to admissions under former U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates there are 1.4 million refugees worldwide in urgent need of resettlement.