President Joe Biden pulls a note card from his pocket as he speaks from the Treaty Room in the White ... [+] House about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan on Wednesday. Hours later, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden still plans on resettling more than 15,000 refugees this year, but the exact number won’t be released until May 15, so his declaration essentially left the cap at 15,000 as a placeholder. However, Psaki said admitting 62,500 refugees “seems unlikely” because the administration needs to rebuild the resettlement system after it was curbed under the Trump administration. Key BackgroundPsaki’s promise to increase refugee admissions came after hours of anger from congressional Democrats and immigration advocates. That’s how many refugees Biden has promised to resettle in the 2022 fiscal year, the highest level in more than two decades.

Source: Forbes April 16, 2021 21:46 UTC