The government of US President Joe Biden plans to maintain its goal of accepting 125,000 refugees next year, according to an internal report to congressmen to which he had access Reutersindicating that the increase will continue if Kamala Harris wins the White House.
The Biden administration is on track to bring in 100,000 people through the Refugee Admissions Program in fiscal year 2024, which ends Sept. 30, according to the previously unreported document. If achieved, it would be the highest level in three decades.
Immigration is one of the main concerns of voters ahead of the November 5 election, which will pit Harris, a Democrat and Biden’s vice president, against Republican Donald Trump.
The former president greatly reduced refugee admissions during his presidency from 2017 to 2021 and has promised a broad crackdown on immigration if re-elected.
The State Department said in a statement that it shared Biden’s vision of a refugee resettlement program “that reflects America’s generosity and core values,” but declined to comment on next year’s plan.
The White House, Harris’ campaign and Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The Refugee Admissions Program is generally available to individuals who are outside their home countries and are facing persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Applicants must be outside the United States to be eligible for this status.
Biden’s first goal was to achieve 125,000 refugee admissions in fiscal year 2022, an ambitious target that has remained out of reach even after years of ramping up refugee processing.
The Biden administration has also increased refugee intakes from Latin America, part of a strategy to provide more legal pathways into the region amid record levels of displacement.
More than 16,000 refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean have entered the United States from October 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024, according to data from the State Department.
Refugee Council USA, a coalition of humanitarian groups, had called on Biden in August to raise the goal in fiscal year 2025 to at least 135,000, citing growing needs around the world.
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