Of 28 executive actions tracked by the pollsters since Biden’s inauguration on January 20, the February 4 order to increase the refugee admissions cap is the least popular “by a wide margin,” the pollsters found.
“Orders pertaining to immigration and immigrant rights constitute five of [Biden’s] seven least popular actions among voters and are particularly animating for Republicans,” they added.
While the opposition comes mostly from registered Republicans and Independents, there was still a 39% of Democrats not in favor of this aggressive expansion.
The current 2021 limit of 15,000 refugee admissions ceiling was takes into consideration the backlog of over 1.1 million asylum-seekers still waiting adjudication, as well as accounting for the arrival of refugees delayed resettlement due to COVID-19.
With many government services still with skeleton staffs or offices being closed due to the pandemic, even Biden’s State Department acknowledged that the “125,000-person limit for next year was an ambitious target.”
No Clear Plan in Sight
At present, there is no publicized plan to help process the currently backlogged asylum claims. Many are concerned that Biden has not attempted to limit refugee admissions long enough to ensure those presently in the country are safe. By limiting entry, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would be able to expedite due process for current refugees which they are afforded under asylum claimant policies.
