Today President Biden signed an Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions and raised the ceiling to 62,500 for this fiscal year.

This welcome and necessary step dramatically changes the 15,000 resettlement number that the former President had put in place for 2021, which effectively shut America’s doors and discriminated against refugees in Africa and the Middle East.

As an organization working on the frontlines across Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere to identify refugees in need of resettlement, RefugePoint celebrates this announcement. It paves the way for refugees in perilous situations to find safety, reunite with loved ones, and imagine a future free from danger.

Just as importantly, America’s actions will influence the global community to do more to support refugees. We have reached a historic inflection point with approximately 1% of the world’s population forcibly displaced, a grim milestone.

President Biden’s announcement, which includes aiming to bring in 125,000 refugees next year, signals that America is moving back into the leadership position that the former administration abdicated. As part of this renewed leadership, the President has committed to innovations in refugee resettlement. As an organization that thrives in the space of innovation and has recently launched new programs around family reunion and economic mobility for refugees, RefugePoint looks forward to working with the Biden administration to realize its important goals.