Washington, D.C.—Today Church World Service, 322 religious leaders and 202 national, state, and local faith-based organizations across traditions, wrote the Biden administration, urging for restoration and strengthening of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Faith communities, in a letter, called on President Biden to expand and set the upcoming Fiscal Year 2022 Presidential Determination for welcoming refugees to 200,000, a number more commensurate with global need. The call comes as tens of thousands of refugees flee Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover, unprecedented climate-forced migration continues, and other humanitarian crises drive the world’s most vulnerable from their homes.
The faith letter, which applauds President Biden’s initial steps to redress the harm caused by the previous administration and lack of leadership shown toward refugee crises over the past four years, lays out a humanitarian response in line with the United States’ historic commitment to welcoming the stranger that has held bipartisan support for decades. It is imperative that the administration meaningfully invest in rebuilding and making the necessary improvements to strengthen the resettlement program.
They write, “We are called by our sacred texts and faith principles to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner. Our congregations, synagogues, and mosques have historically played key roles in assisting refugees with housing, language, employment, and social support necessary for rapid and effective resettlement into U.S. communities. Yet, our commitment to offering refuge from violence and persecution requires our government to demonstrate the moral leadership upon which our nation was founded.”
“As we face the worst refugee crisis in history, it is vital that your administration set a robust refugee admissions goal for FY 2022 at 200,000 and advocate for a robust level of funding for the U.S. resettlement program, commensurate with this goal and taking into consideration the urgent need to rebuild our nation’s capacity to provide welcome. Our call to the administration to commit to resettling up to 200,000 refugees harkens back to 1980 when the United States welcomed over 207,000 refugees in a single year. This refugee admissions goal ensures that the United States has the flexibility to respond to the acute and profound crisis in Afghanistan while continuing to resettle refugees fleeing violence and persecution from around the world. The United States government must embrace the full restoration and strengthening of the U.S. resettlement program, and rebuild the essential infrastructure it takes to meet this historic moment. “
The modern U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was established by the bipartisan Refugee Act of 1980 following the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. The United States welcomed over 207,000 refugees in the year that followed. Each year the president, after consulting with Congress, sets the refugee admissions goal, also called the Presidential Determination, in response to global developments, foreign policy goals and humanitarian need.
For more information about this year’s Presidential Determination, CWS’ work to welcome Afghan refugees, or to speak with an expert, contact media@cwsglobal.org.