The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns issued the following statement following President Joe Biden's announcement of an executive order that will raise the refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 in the next fiscal year.
February 4, 2021
President Joe Biden announced today, February 4, that his administration will raise the annual refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 starting October 1, a significant increase from the trajectory of recent years. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns celebrates this decision that will have tremendous benefits for those refugees overseas who have been waiting for an opportunity to safely resettle as well as for U.S. communities enriched by their presence.
Susan Gunn, Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, said:
“Opening our doors to refugees during a global refugee crisis is the right thing to do. Maryknoll missioners working in refugee camps around the world know that hundreds of thousands of refugee families have been needlessly suffering and waiting for too long in unsafe conditions for permanent places to resettle. As people of faith here in the United States, we are called to create communities of welcome.
We can do this safely even during a pandemic. The increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccines makes this an especially opportune time to revitalize the U.S. refugee program. We know that the Catholic community in the United States stands willing and able to help welcome this number of refugees. As Pope Francis reminds us, refugees are our brothers and sisters and it is our duty and joy to care for them as our own.”
