Honduran migrants bound for the United States clash with security forces in Vado Hondo, Guatemala, on Jan. 17.
In his first week as president, Biden signed a record 37 executive orders, more than any previous president in the same period. He is expected to continue signing a series of executive orders, including raising the cap on U.S. refugee admissions.
According to CNN, two administration officials revealed that the new executive orders will admit tens of thousands of refugees into the United States. White House officials discussed that Biden would sign a round of immigration-related executive orders on Friday, but that it could actually be delayed until next week.
The refugee cap determines how many refugees the U.S. can admit and must be approved by the president. Former President Trump kept the refugee cap relatively low, with 15,000 refugees in 2021. During the presidential campaign, Biden pledged to increase refugee admissions nearly tenfold, raising the refugee cap to 125,000 per year.
Biden is expected to take executive action on immigration as soon as Friday, according to a draft agenda sent to administration allies. It is unclear when Biden intends to reach the level he has promised, but the expected executive order will serve as a guideline and set the tone for openness to refugees, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.
Asked Thursday why immigration was discussed only after nearly 40 news conferences on other topics, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will have more information on immigration next week and will report more in the next few days.
In addition to Biden’s plan to increase the number of refugees entering the U.S., his administration is also pushing to grant citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country. His plan is also being strongly resisted by some Democratic lawmakers, whose votes are important given that both parties are largely evenly split in the House and Senate.
The immigration bill Biden sent to Congress is only one priority, and one White House official acknowledged that it is not an absolute process. Hopefully, the House and Senate and leaders of both parties will work together to pass the package, and the final legislation may be different.
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