Biden set to raise refugee cap to 62,500 after blowback, source says

The Biden administration is set to raise the refugee ceiling to 62,500 this fiscal year, according to a source familiar with the discussions, after receiving swift criticism last month when President Joe Biden kept the lower Trump-era cap in place.

The administration announced last month that Biden would sign an emergency determination that keeps this year’s refugee cap at 15,000, but not raise the refugee cap as he had committed to doing, a significant reversal from his administration’s previous proposal to lift the cap to 62,500. The move faced immediate blowback from refugee groups and Democratic lawmakers frustrated by the sudden shift.

As of March 31, only 2,050 refugees had been admitted to the United States this fiscal year under Trump’s 15,000 cap, according to the Refugee Processing Center, which is part of the State Department.

This story is breaking and will be updated.