The US will settle for as much as 100,000 refugees from Russia's battle in Ukraine, a senior Biden administration official mentioned Thursday, the most important dedication but by the U.S. to assist European nations bearing the brunt of the rising refugee disaster.
"To fulfill this dedication we're contemplating the total vary of authorized pathways to the US" for refugees fleeing the invasion, the official mentioned, talking on background to announce particulars of the initiative.
The U.S. is contemplating accepting Ukrainian refugees via its refugee admissions program, or by providing humanitarian parole or visas that may enable refugees to enter the nation, the official mentioned.
The Biden administration will "increase and develop new packages" to assist with the hassle, with a deal with aiding refugees who've members of the family dwelling in the US, the official mentioned.
The official mentioned the administration can also be going to deal with susceptible refugees fleeing the battle in Ukraine, particularly "LGBTQI plus people, these with medical wants, third nation nationals" and journalists, amongst others.
Final October, President Joe Biden raised the variety of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. to 125,000 within the 2022 fiscal yr. That determine was a big improve from the annual refugee cap of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump.
The official mentioned the administration nonetheless has "important capability" to just accept refugees beneath the present cap, and isn't anticipating that the variety of Ukrainians in search of to enter the nation will push the U.S. past the boundaries for the fiscal yr ending in September.
"We nonetheless anticipate most displaced Ukrainian residents will wish to keep in neighboring nations or elsewhere in" Europe, the official mentioned.
The announcement got here amid a busy day of diplomacy for President Joe Biden, who's assembly with NATO and European Union officers in Brussels to debate their coordinated response to the battle in Ukraine.
After the summits in Brussels, Biden is heading Friday to Poland, the nation taking within the largest variety of Ukrainian refugees. Earlier this month Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited a Polish border city accepting Ukrainian refugees on a tour of Japanese Europe.
The UN refugee company mentioned Monday that almost 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the nation one month in the past. The quantity contains 1.5 million kids, UNICEF mentioned final week.
A number of million different Ukrainians have been displaced internally inside the nation as preventing between Russia and Ukraine continues right into a second month.
Along with Poland, many refugees of the battle have additionally wound up in Romania, Slovakia, the Republic of Moldova and different nations in Europe.
A rising variety of Ukrainians have additionally sought refuge within the U.S., however up till now most have confronted challenges getting into the nation due to a pandemic-response rule limiting asylum-seekers.
Newsweek reported final week that some Ukrainian refugees who had been in a position to cross the border had been positioned in detention by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after Biden had promised to welcome Ukrainian refugees "with open arms."
The senior administration official Thursday didn't say when the U.S. would begin implementing new packages, saying new particulars can be introduced "within the days and weeks to come back."
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