Biden raises U.S. refugee admission cap to 62,500

President Biden announced Monday that he will raise the United States' annual refugee admission cap to 62,500, and the goal is to double the number by next year.

The Biden administration previously recommended the 62,500 figure to congressional officials in February, BuzzFeed News notes, but the White House decided in April to stick to the historically low 15,000 goal set by the Trump administration, drawing fierce criticism. Shortly after that announcement, the administration said the final number was still under discussion.

While Biden ultimately settled on the initial plan, he admitted Monday that "the sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year" because it "will take some time" to "undo the damage of the last four years."

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