The U.S. government has stopped accepting refugees in order to concentrate on the huge effort to process them. Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees will be resettledMonday, the State Department announced.
The U.S. will no longer book travel for refugees not meeting certain criteria until January 11. The State Department announced that refugees who are ready to travel, have “urgent” cases, or whose medical screenings expire soon, can still be resettled in the U.S.
Two people familiar with the matter said that the limits on refugee admissions were requested from the local non-governmental refugee resettlement agencies, which partner with the government to help immigrants fleeing war and violence settle in American communities.
Since the end of the summer, the resettlement group have been working together to help the more 73,000 Afghan evacuees that the U.S. relocated to America following the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan.
Operation Allies Welcome has put a strain on the resources of the nine national refugee groups and their local affiliates. Many of these offices were closed and their staff levels reduced during the Trump administration which drastically cut refugee admissions.
“This temporary prioritization for new bookings will enable Resettlement Agencies to provide necessary services, as well as refugees already booked to travel in November and/12, to Afghanistanns that will be leaving U.S. Safe Havens in the upcoming weeks and months,” the State Department stated in a statement.
Nearly 46,000 Afghan evacuees currently live at eight military bases on the U.S. mainland. These temporary housing sites have been used while officials prepare for the relocation of the newcomers to their respective destinations in America.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS), so far, 25,000 evacuees left the military sites. This includes 19,000 Afghans who were resettled by the non profit resettlement groups.
“This temporary approach to resettlement will help expedite Afghans from safe hasns to their new community,” the State Department stated, using the government name for the military locations.
According to DHS data, another 2,600 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan and are waiting for U.S. flights at military bases in Europe and the Middle East.
Many faith-based refugee groups offer assistance to refugees in securing affordable housing, employment, and government benefits to aid their integration into American society.
Although temporary, the restrictions on refugee admissions will complicate the U.S. government’s efforts to meet President Biden’s ambitious goal to resettle up to 125,000 refugees by fiscal year 2022. This goal was set last month.
According to government data, the U.S. admitted only 401 refugees in October. This is an 89% decrease from September when almost 3,800 refugees arrived in the country.
The admissions numbers don’t include the tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees brought to the U.S. since the summer because they entered the country under a humanitarian process known as parole — not through the traditional refugee program.
The State Department noted that temporary refugee admissions restrictions won’t apply to those who have special immigrant visas or assisted U.S. forces.
The Biden administration had to rebuild the U.S. refugee programme, which was hampered by many Trump-era restrictions and a coronavirus epidemic.
The U.S. resettled 11411 refugees in fiscal 2021, which was the eighth full month of Mr. Biden’s presidency. This is an all-time low.
Source: CBS News
