President Biden Announces Imminent Executive Order on Refugee Resettlement

Contact: Timothy Young | tyoung@lirs.org | 443-257-6310

Washington D.C. – President Biden announced his intention to approve an executive order that establishes guiding principles for his administration’s implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admission Program, and paves the way for raising the annual admissions ceiling well above the record-low 15,000 set by the Trump administration, and committing to resettling 125,000 refugees in the administration’s first full fiscal year in office.

The following is a statement by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, the nation’s largest faith-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to serving refugees and vulnerable immigrant communities:

“With this announcement, President Biden has signaled to the world that the U.S. is proudly reassuming its responsibility as the world’s humanitarian leader. His commitment to significantly raise the refugee admissions ceiling is a bold recognition of the scope and scale of the worst global displacement crisis in history.

The human impact cannot be overstated – raising the admissions ceiling will be lifesaving for hundreds of thousands fleeing violence and persecution, simply because of the color of their skin, how they worship, or who they love. Families who have been forced to delay reunification for years because of admissions cuts and egregious processing delays may soon breathe a sigh of relief. 

Refugees may be newcomers, but they quickly become our neighbors, our friends, our children’s classmates, and our fellow congregants. We are extremely grateful that the new administration recognizes our common humanity, as well as the essential contributions refugees make to our society and our economy.

In the spirit of welcome, compassion, and generosity, we stand ready to rise to the laudable challenge of restoring refugee resettlement to historic norms and beyond. This will be a massive undertaking, but we are inspired by the service partners, congregations, volunteers, and advocates who are all so enthusiastic about bringing this vital work back from the brink of extinction.”