Jesuit Refugee Service/USA welcomes the Biden Administration’s announcement that the U.S. will maintain a goal of resettling 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2024. This Presidential Determination (PD) recognizes the importance of continuing to invest in and rebuild a program that has only resettled a little more than 51,000 people as of August 31, leaving thousands of people in limbo.

“The number of people forcibly displaced has grown exponentially in the last 18 months,” said Joan Rosenhauer, President, JRS/USA. “We are seen as a world leader in helping those who need it most, and we must do everything in our power to assist those refugees who are waiting to be resettled.”

Despite the fact that the PD has been higher in the last couple years, the goal each year has not been met. In FY22, the United States only resettled a little more than 25,000 refugees. This is in part due to the reconstruction of the refugee resettlement network which was decimated in recent years by low funding and admission rates.

Regardless, the United States must remain a global leader in helping displaced people around the world find safety from violence, poverty and natural disasters.

“Continued investment in the lives of refugees around the world is a core ideal of who we are as a country,” said Giulia McPherson, Vice President of Advocacy, JRS/USA. “The refugee resettlement program has helped transform towns that were on the verge of economic collapse into thriving communities and has continued to blend together the melting pot that is the United States so more of those in need can try to live the American dream. We must do everything we can to lead by example and show the world that refugees are valuable members of society.”