100 signatures reached
To: Members of the U.S. Congress
Tell Congress: The U.S. must welcome refugees NOW
President Biden’s plans to keep the Trump administration’s refugee cap in place for the remainder of this fiscal year will leave thousands of people seeking refuge unnecessarily in harms’ way.
The decision to keep the cap at 15,000, particularly as the COVID pandemic continues — is a betrayal of Biden’s campaign promise as well as the professed values of the United States. There is no justification to delay in providing safe haven for refugees. We demand Congress take immediate action to stop President Biden from further dismantling the U.S. refugee program by supporting an increased cap and fully funding U.S. resettlement programs at pre-Trump administration levels.
Why is this important?
President Biden is breaking promises he made on the campaign trail to follow in Trump’s footsteps and keep the U.S. refugee cap at an all time low.
It’s abhorrent. Earlier this year, Biden pledged to raise the refugee cap for the next fiscal year to 125,000. Yet not even 100 days in office and his administration is backpedaling from that goal at a breathtaking pace — keeping the cap at 15,000 for the time being — and slamming the door shut on thousands of people who urgently need our help.
If President Biden does not raise this cap immediately, the current pace of admissions will mean just 4,510 refugees will be resettled this year — far below the current limit and the lowest of any president ever.
The U.S. has an obligation to open its doors to refugees. In fact, it’s a failed violence-first U.S. foreign policy that has driven displacement around the globe — exacerbating violence, systemic inequality, and the effects of the climate crisis — for decades.
Congress must save the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Add your name to tell Congress to act immediately and stop Biden from further dismantling the U.S. refugee program.