President Joe Biden's administration wants to nearly double the number of refugees admitted to the United States to 125,000 in the upcoming fiscal year starting on Oct. 1 in keeping with a campaign promise, according to a statement from the State Department, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The State Department will consult with the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to lift the cap, which was set at 62,500 for the 2020 fiscal yearending this month, the statement said.
The plan to dramatically increase refugee admissions comes at a time when tens of thousands of Afghan refugees are on U.S. military bases awaiting resettlement in the United States. Many still at risk were left behind in the chaotic final days of the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Biden, a Democrat, who took office in January, promised to reverse course after his predecessor Republican President Donald Trump cut the refugee cap to just 15,000, the lowest level in the history of the modern refugee program.
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