President Biden is doubling the number of refugees — from 62,500 to 125,000 — who could be resettled to the United States in the next fiscal year.

“We are going to use every tool available to help these fully-vetted refugees fleeing horrific conditions in their home countries,” Biden said in a May statement announcing his goal, which went into effect on October 8. “This will reassert American leadership and American values when it comes to refugee admissions.”

A refugee is anyone who flees their home country because of past persecution or who has a well-founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.

Since 1980, the United States has admitted over 3.1 million refugees.

These are the new numbers of refugees from each region who may be granted entry under the newly approved refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2022:

  • Africa: 40,000.
  • East Asia: 15,000.
  • Europe and Central Asia: 10,000.
  • Latin America/Caribbean: 15,000.
  • Near East/South Asia: 35,000.
  • Unallocated Reserve: 10,000.

The last category — the unallocated reserve — will be used on a case-by-case basis.

The State Department says these new numbers align with “our long tradition of providing a safe haven and opportunity to individuals fleeing persecution.”

“With the world facing unprecedented global displacement and humanitarian needs, the United States is committed to leading efforts to provide protection and promote durable solutions to humanitarian crises, to include providing resettlement for the most vulnerable,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a September 22 statement.

Banner image: Refugee students pose for a photo after a World Refugee Day event at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington in 2019. (© Arielle Moncure/UNHCR)