Biden maintains 125,000 refugee cap for fiscal year 2023

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Joe Biden recommended to Congress that the US maintain its cap of 125,000 refugees allowed to resettle in the US for the upcoming fiscal year, the State Department announced on Friday.

The limit would take effect in the 2023 fiscal year, which begins in October, and will "address the growing needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe, including the more than 100 million displaced persons around the world," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The decision comes amid a surge in refugees worldwide caused by increasingly dire climate catastrophes, and spiraling conflicts, including Russia's war in Ukraine which has led to more than 7.1 million Ukrainians seeking safety in neighboring European nations, according to UN data.

The president's recommended ceiling was transmitted to Congress on Thursday, and Price said the department has "prioritized rebuilding and strengthening the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in a strategic, sustainable way that positions the program on a durable foundation for the future."

Biden has steadily increased the total number of refugees who are eligible for resettlement in the US after former President Donald Trump set an all-time low cap of 15,000 during his term.

Biden, however, has faced criticism from refugee advocates over his failure to come anywhere close to hitting the lofty limit he established for fiscal year 2022.

An Anadolu Agency review of government data showed that despite his existing cap of 125,000, the US has admitted just 19,919 refugees as of Aug. 31.