It’s a lot easier to make campaign promises than it is to fulfill them once you’re in the White House.
President Joe Biden found that out the hard way recently when, amid a surge of migrants from Central America, he appeared to waver in regard to his commitment to quadruple the number of refugees resettled in the U.S. in fiscal year 2021.
That apparent decision resulted in an immediate backlash from human-rights groups, refugee resettlement agencies and scores of lawmakers. That led the administration to walk back its initial April 16 memorandum and announce it would arrive at a final, increased refugee cap by May 15.
When asked if the new cap would be near the 62,500 refugees Biden promised earlier, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that was “unlikely,” even as she continued to claim there was no connection between the crisis at the border and the administration’s lower refugee cap.
Psaki was left in the unenviable position of denying the obvious. On Feb. 12, the administration delivered a report to Congress stating that, “new political violence, humanitarian crises and growing threats to refugees in countries of asylum all support a need to increase the refugee admissions number for FY 2021.” Yet just two months later, the April 16 memorandum said, “The admission of up to 15,000 refugees remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest,” until and unless a subsequent determination is made.
Many pounced on Biden’s refugee waffling as proof that it’s not wise — politically or practically — to welcome more refugees into the country at a time when a large number of undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers are attempting to cross our southern border.
We respectfully disagree.
Biden’s mistake was not his promise to quadruple the number of refugees in 2020; it was turning his back on that promise.
It might be politically expedient to conflate legal refugees welcomed to this country after a lengthy and painstaking screening process with those undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers who arrive at the border unknown and unannounced. But it has little to do with reality.
The American people, if given the chance, can grasp the difference between refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen or Iran — who have been granted refugee status and asylum before coming to America — from those who seek asylum upon arrival.
The challenge for the Biden administration is seeking comprehensive immigration reform that addresses border security, while at the same time increasing the legal pathways and support networks for refugees, asylum-seekers and economic migrants to be welcomed into this great nation of immigrants.
That’s a goal worthy of support from all our lawmakers, regardless of what side of the aisle they’re on.
— The Dallas Morning News