The
allocations will create spots for 22,000 refugees from Africa,
6,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and Central Asia, 5,000
from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 13,000 from South
Asia, the people said. Another 12,500 unallocated spots will
also be available.
The move comes after Biden signed an executive order calling for
changes to refugee processing in the United States on Thursday.
He said he plans to set the limit for fiscal year 2022, which
begins on Oct. 1, 2021, at 125,000 refugees.
Refugee admissions reached historic lows under Trump, who
portrayed refugees as a security threat and made limiting the
number of immigrants allowed into the United States a hallmark
of his presidency.
The admissions slowed to a crawl amid Trump's restrictions and
the coronavirus pandemic. From Oct. 1 to Feb. 5, the United
States resettled only 1,501 refugees, according to U.S. State
Department data shared with refugee groups.
The White House referred a request for comment to the U.S. State
Department, which did not immediately respond.
(Reporting by Mimi Dwyer and Ted Hesson; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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