White House says Biden will increase refugee cap this year, after Dem fury over original target

The White House on Friday said that President Biden is expected to increase the refugee cap for this fiscal year, just hours after he signed an order that kept it at Trump-era levels and sparked fury from congressional Democrats.

"The President’s directive today has been the subject of some confusion," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in an afternoon statement.

Former President Donald Trump lowered the refugee cap for FY 2021 to 15,000 -- something the Biden had pledged both during the campaign and his first days in office to raise.

Biden had promised to increase the cap to 125,000 for the next fiscal year, which begins in October. He also said he would work with Congress to make a "down payment" on that number. In the meantime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed to Congress lifting the cap to 62,000 for this fiscal year.

However, the administration announced Friday that Biden was signing an emergency presidential determination to keep the number at 15,000 while changing the regional allocation of who is brought in -- allowing more slots from Africa, the Middle East and Central America, while ending restrictions on Somalia, Yemen and Syria.

It brought immediate and widespread criticism from left-wing Democrats and immigrant activist groups.