Joe Biden to lift Donald Trump’s cap on refugees amid criticism

(AP) The White House has announced Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor Donald Trump’s historically low cap on refugees by next month, after the US leader was criticised for initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements.

Mr Biden earlier on Friday moved to accelerate refugee admissions but said the admission of up to 15,000 refugees set by Mr Trump this year “remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest”.

But if the cap is reached before the end of the current budget year and the emergency refugee situation persists, then a presidential determination may be issued to raise the ceiling.

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