Pissed off by the delay, the resettlement companies are asking Biden to signal the cap on refugee admission

The first assumption as to why Biden has not yet given his final signature would likely be that the U.S. refugee resettlement system has been decimated due to anti-refugee policies over the past four years and is simply not ready to accept new families. Agencies that worked with the federal government to relocate refugees to the US had welcomed Biden’s promise to restore admissions to 125,000, but admitted “Our work is tailored to us. ” The Columbus dispatch reported last year.

But it is these refugee resettlement agencies themselves that are currently calling on the Biden government to give this final permit. “The nine resettlement agenciesWorking with Refugee Council USA, he urged Biden to sign the higher cap on Friday, calling it “mandatory” according to a letter addressed to the president, “CNN reported.

The resettlement agencies themselves state that they are able to handle the first step of 62,500 admissions set by the Biden administration. Indeed, Refugee Council USA Interim Director John Slocum said the number “is entirely within our ability, both with respect to relevant government agencies and with respect to nonprofit and faith-based organizations serving refugees through a nationwide public -private partnership serve, manage, ” Religion News Service (RNS) reports.

Mark Hetfield, President and CEO of HIAS, said he was concerned that the lack of a signature could mean the US may not even hit the current 15,000 ceiling. “They actually got the program into worse shape,” he said on the CNN report. “You actually did harm by not signing the PD.” That report states that as of March 31 of the current fiscal year, only 2,050 refugees have been admitted to the United States.

Frustrating advocates and lawmakers like US Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren and US Senator from Maryland Chris Van Hollen believe the White House has no clarity as to why Biden has not yet given the required signature. The White House “offered no explanation,” the New York Times reported. “I don’t know why there is a robbery. I want to understand why this hasn’t happened yet, ”said Warren, according to HuffPo’s Igor Bobic. CNN reported that Van Hollen said Biden “hasn’t signed them yet and I don’t know why he hasn’t signed those documents.”

The Times reported that among the more than 700 refugees whose flights were canceled was the wife of Joseph Madogo, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “He had already rented a new apartment and bought a new bed and dining room set when he heard that their flight had been canceled.” Madogo said in the report that he “everyone was ready to surprise her. Then, two or three days ago, they suddenly said she couldn’t make it. I was very, very disappointed. ”

One of the biggest concerns for refugees is that due to delays, their medical and security checks will expire and they will be forced to start the process over. “If one of a refugee’s clearances expires, it can create a revolving door as other family members’ clearances also expire while he or she tries to renew them,” RNS reported.

“The biggest hurdle right now is that the president doesn’t sign this president’s resolution so we can start making these preparations for reality and welcoming refugees into the community,” said HIAS Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Melanie Nezer said according to RNA. “The refugees’ resolve seems to be upheld at the highest levels of the Biden government and absolutely no one explains why, ”tweeted Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council. “We need him to sign it.”