• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Current
    • Masthead
  • Podcasts
  • Blogs
    • The Way of Improvement Leads Home
    • The Arena
  • Support
  • Way of Improvement
  • About John
  • Vita
  • Books
  • Speaking
  • Media Requests

The Biden backtrack on refugees explained

John Fea   |  April 23, 2021

Last week the Biden Administration announced that it would not raise the number of refugees permitted to resettle in the United States. In the process, he broke a promise he made to faith-based groups. During the 2020 presidential campaign Biden pledged to increase the refugee ceiling from the historic lows it reached during the Trump administration.

Faith-based organizations were not happy about Biden’s decision to renege on his promise. They pressured Biden, and ultimately convinced him to change course. The administration claimed that its original decision was made in light of its concern over conservative attacks on Biden’s immigration policy at a time when the president was trying to play nice with the GOP in the hopes of getting some of them to support his infrastructure plan.

Learn more here.

Politico has more of the backstory. Here is a taste:

In an effort to contain the immediate fallout, the White House held a Friday call with refugee and immigrant advocates after it reversed course on its refugee cap announcement. But attendees were unable to get their questions answered about who played a role in the decision and why the May 15 deadline to increase the number of admissions was only mentioned hours later. The White House asked for questions beforehand and selected five, according to a source on the call.

Multiple advocates on the call said they left it unsatisfied with the White House’s explanation for its decision and subsequent walk back.

“They made the calculation that in political terms this would be something that could be used against them,” said Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals. “The waffling is probably going to be used against them more than if they’d just stuck with doing the right thing.”

Carey, who was on Friday’s late night call with White House officials said he was pleased the administration walked back its initial decision to keep the cap refugee admissions at 15,000 but said “the explanation and the trying to cover their tracks, it’s not very convincing.”

Read the rest here.

Filed Under: Way of Improvement Tagged With: Galen Carey, immigration, Joe Biden, National Association of Evangelicals, refugees, World Relief

Primary Sidebar

Patron Access

The Way of Improvement Leads Home

It was only a matter of time: Jair Bolsonaro and Charlie Kirk join forces

February 2, 2023 By John Fea

Some evangelicals will be tempted to support Trump in 2024 if it means striking a blow to the LGBTQ community

February 2, 2023 By John Fea

Commonplace Book #236

February 2, 2023 By John Fea

Evangelical roundup for February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023 By John Fea

More from The Way of Improvement →

The Arena Blog

Complicity and the Failure to Care

February 2, 2023 By Elizabeth Stice Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Arena

February 1, 2023 By Nadya Williams Leave a Comment

“The Arena” is coming to Current

January 31, 2023 By John Fea Leave a Comment

More from The Arena →

Subscribe via Email



Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Footer

Contact Forms

General Inquiries
Pitch Us

Search

Subscribe via Email



Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
Subscribe via Email


Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide