Biden to Raise Refugee Cap to 125,000 from Trump’s 15,000

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday beginning the process of raising the refugee admissions cap to 125,000 from the Trump administration’s record-low 15,000 by fiscal year 2022. The change will require Biden to consult Congress before it can be implemented. The new cap will surpass the 110,000 limit set by former President Barack Obama in his last year in office. Biden announced the move, along with a broad set of foreign policy goals, during his first visit to the State Department on Thursday. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates there are 26.3 million refugees worldwide, including 1.4 million in urgent need of resettlement. Coverage in right-rated outlets was less likely to portray the Trump administration’s refugee cap as unusually low. Coverage in left- and center-rated outlets was more likely to portray the Trump administration’s policies as “hobbling,” “decimating” or otherwise harming the U.S. refugee program.