Raising the Cap on Refugee Admissions Restores Hope for Families

Grand Rapids, MI – The refugee admissions cap will be raised to 125,000 people in FY22, according to a proposal the U.S. government sent Congress last night. This announcement comes at a time when more people are displaced from their homes than ever before and shows that the United States is committed to global humanitarian leadership.

“Raising the cap on refugee admissions restores hope to families in communities across the United States who were separated because of war, persecution, or natural disaster,” said Chris Palusky, President and CEO of Bethany Christian Services. “This proposal will lead to the joyous reunification of families who have been apart for years and it will allow more families to stay together as they safely resettle as a unit.”

The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a lifeline for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The U.S. is projected to resettle fewer than 10,000 people in FY21, the lowest number in the history of the program; however, resettling 125,000 refugees in FY22 isn’t without precedent. In 1980, the year the refugee program was established, the U.S. resettled 207,000 people in need.

“Our Christian faith compels us to love our neighbor and to welcome the stranger,” added Tawnya Brown, Bethany’s SVP of Global, Refugee, and Immigrant Services. “Bethany offices nationwide have received an outpouring of support from churches and community partners who want to help refugees. This ambitious goal allows us to live out our faith through our actions.”

“We applaud the Biden Administration’s proposal to boldly commit to resettling more refugees, but this can only be the first step,” concluded Nathan Bult, Bethany’s SVP of Public and Government Affairs. “The U.S. government must ensure that the infrastructure is in place to process refugees internationally and that resettlement organizations have the resources they need to support refugees on their path to self-sufficiency.”