Welcome to The Daily 202! Tell your friends to sign up here. This is your Daily 202 researcher Caroline, in today for Olivier. On this day in 1912, folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Okla.
The administration’s aim was to resettle 125,000 refugees in the United States this fiscal year. But as demand for resettlement rose with millions of Afghans and Ukrainians forcibly displaced from their homes, the U.S.’s resettlement system has failed to adapt by a long shot. Two sources with knowledge of internal estimates told Axios last week that officials now expect to fall short by about 100,000 refugees. (A State Department spokesperson did not respond to a question from The Daily 202 about the accuracy of those numbers.)
Only 15,000 refugees had been resettled by the end of June, according to government data. Axios’s sources estimate that number will reach 25,000 by the end of the fiscal year, which would double last year's resettlement numbers but still fall short of Biden’s stated goal, which a State Department spokesperson told The Daily 202 was “a very ambitious number.”
But it wouldn’t be the first time for the administration has fallen far short of refugee admissions. Biden’s admissions cap for the last fiscal year was 62,500, and he didn’t reach that either, resettling only 11,411 refugees.
Explanations and rebuttals
The State Department blamed the anticipated resettlement shortfall on pandemic-related closures, understaffed agencies and, most pointedly, the massive restrictions former president Donald Trump placed on the refugee system during his tenure. (Trump slashed the number of refugees allowed in by more than 80 percent and effectively ended asylum during the pandemic.)
But some advocates don’t entirely buy the administration’s explanation. Biden certainly had large hurdles to overcome, they acknowledge. But continuing to attribute the system’s failings to the Trump administration isn’t a compelling argument this far into Biden’s term, said Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch’s refugee and migrant rights division.
- “Unquestionably, the U.S. resettlement program was decimated by the Trump administration,” Frelick said. “Rome wasn't built in a night, so it does take a long time to get things back in gear. But it's been a while now, so that excuse wears thin over time.”
The State Department spokesperson said the agency is working to “rebuild and enhance” the nation’s refugee assistance program by addressing application backlogs, improving the vetting process and reducing processing time.
Emergency vs. long-term
Notably, the refugee resettlement numbers do not include people brought to the United States through other mechanisms like humanitarian parole, which allows refugees into the country without a visa. Refugee resettlement is a longer process that puts people on the path to citizenship, whereas humanitarian parole is a temporary measure that provides quicker help to people fleeing difficult situations but can leave them uncertain of their future in the United States.
So despite the lull in resettlement, refugee settlement agencies have stayed busy processing Afghans and Ukrainians who obtained humanitarian parole, said Melanie Nezer, senior vice president of global public affairs at HIAS, a refugee aid group.
- The State Department spokesperson stressed those efforts, saying tens of thousands of Afghan allies and nationals were resettled that way. It’s “critical to recall the enormous whole of America effort beginning last year and through this year to relocate 74,000 Afghan allies and nationals with initial resettlement assistance as they restart their new lives in new homes in the United States,” the spokesperson said.
Still: Advocates say the administration should focus on strengthening the resettlement program to be more flexible during crises instead of leaning so heavily on humanitarian parole to get people into the country. Nezer said the delays are hitting hardest the refugees who have been stuck in the backlog of the resettlement process for years and aren’t eligible for emergency placement.
Pro-immigration Democrats are also calling on Biden to do more on this issue. “Parole and temporary immigration protections are not an acceptable substitute to the permanent protections offered under [the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program],” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement to The Daily 202.
Menendez said it’s important to recognize that the Trump Administration “decimated” the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. But he also called the current pace of refugee resettlement “simply unacceptable – especially given the extraordinary number of people now forced to flee due to conflict and persecution.”
Looking ahead
It’s unclear how much this shortfall will matter for the Democrats as the midterms approach. With so much focus on the economy, inflation, gun rights and abortion, issues like immigration aren’t as high in voters’ minds as they might be in a different election cycle, and many voters think of immigration as an U.S.-Mexico border issue. In a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from July 5-7, just 2 percent of voters said immigration is the most important problem facing the nation. (Twenty percent said it was the economy, and 15 percent said inflation.)
But immigrant advocates have been left puzzled as to why the Biden administration would set its refugee resettlement goals so high when it had fallen short of a much lower number last year.
“It's really hard to conceive of what message is being sent,” Frelick said. “It would appear, if not thing else, to be just a lack of competence that you set a target, you set a ceiling, and you don’t come close to meeting it.”
What’s happening now
Biden defends visit to Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi killing
“President Biden defended his decision to meet with the Saudi crown prince who orchestrated the killing and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the Saudis must be involved in any effort to stabilize a volatile region,” Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Tyler Pager report.
Biden: U.S. is ‘not going to wait forever’ for Iran to rejoin nuclear deal
“We’ve laid out for the leadership of Iran what we’re willing to accept in order to get back into the [nuclear deal],” Biden said during a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro report. “We’re waiting for their response. When that will come, I’m not certain. But we’re not going to wait forever.”
House amendment would allow D.C. mayor to call up National Guard
“The mayor of Washington would have the authority to call up the National Guard in the nation’s capital under an amendment to an annual defense authorization bill adopted by the House…The House is expected to pass its version of the National Defense Authorization Act this week. It’s unclear whether the provision on Washington’s mayor will survive negotiations with the Senate,” John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro report.
Amid Griner trial, Russia warns U.S. against pressure for prisoner swap
“Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday warned Washington not to exert pressure on Moscow over prisoner exchanges, hours before American WNBA star Brittney Griner arrived at a suburban court to face a third hearing in her trial on drug charges that could see her serve 10 years in prison,” Robyn Dixon and Alex Horton report.
Sasse is latest senator to test positive for coronavirus
“Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Thursday became the latest member of his chamber to announce a positive coronavirus test and plans to work remotely in the coming days,” John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro report.
The war in Ukraine
Russian missiles strike Vinnytsia, killing at least 20
“Three Russian missiles struck a business center in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on Thursday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said…The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said the strike killed at least 20 people, including three children, and injured 90 others,” Jennifer Hassan and David Stern report.
Lunchtime reads from The Post
Donald Trump looks to fall launch for 2024, potentially upending midterms
“The former president is now eyeing a September announcement, according to two Trump advisers, who like some others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. One confidant put the odds at ‘70-30 he announces before the midterms.’ And others said he may still decide to announce sooner than September,” Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey report.
Who is Patrick Byrne, former Overstock CEO and election denier?
“Byrne, one of corporate America’s most vocal proponents of the former president’s falsehoods about the 2020 election, will be the latest figure from Trump’s orbit to meet with House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The longtime cryptocurrency advocate is scheduled to meet privately with the committee on Friday,” Eugene Scott reports.
… and beyond
Trump tried to call a member of the White House support staff talking with Jan. 6 committee, sources say
“The support staffer was not someone who routinely communicated with the former president and was concerned about the contact, according to the sources, and informed their attorney,” CNN's Ryan Nobles, Dana Bash, Annie Grayer and Zachary Cohen report.
Pharma companies sue for the right to buy blood from Mexicans along border
“A year after the U.S. barred Mexicans from crossing the border to sell their blood, pharmaceutical companies have acknowledged that those donations provided as much as 10% of the plasma collected nationwide as they seek to have the ban overturned,” Stefanie Dodt reports in a collaboration between ProPublica and ARD German TV.
The Biden agenda
Biden plans to say Khashoggi's name in meeting with Saudi leader, his widow says
“President Joe Biden is expected to mention late journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s name in a meeting with the Saudi Arabian leader accused of approving his assassination, Khashoggi’s widow told Spectrum News on Wednesday. She says administration officials confirmed the plans to her in a meeting a day earlier,” Spectrum News's Austin Landis and Reuben Jones report.
White House preps monkeypox influencers, leaves vaccine doses overseas
“As monkeypox case numbers climb nationwide, the Biden administration says that it remains opposed to efforts that would bypass the bureaucratic red tape keeping more than 1 million doses of vaccine stuck on another continent,” the Daily Beast's Scott Bixby reports.
Administration wants to ‘cleave off’ CHIPS Act and pass standalone bill
“The Biden administration is open to cutting bait on an expansive China competitiveness bill and encouraging Congress to focus solely on passing some $52 billion for the semiconductor industry before leaving for August recess,” Axios's Hans Nichols reports.
White House debates declaring abortion access a ‘health emergency’
“White House officials are actively debating whether to formally declare abortion access a public health emergency, pitting the belief of many Biden advisers that such a move would be counterproductive against the overwhelming political pressure to show they are fighting hard for abortion rights,” Yasmeen Abutaleb and Ashley Parker report.
How the Novavax vaccine works, visualized
“The Novavax vaccine is called a subunit vaccine because it uses a portion of a virus to activate the immune system,” Bonnie Berkowitz, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Aaron Steckelberg report.
Hot on the left
Man charged in rape of 10-year-old girl who had to travel for abortion
“An Ohio man has been charged in the rape of a 10-year-old girl who had to travel to Indiana to undergo an abortion, a case that’s been decried by President Biden in the days since the story garnered international attention,” Timothy Bella reports.
“Gershon Fuentes, 27, was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly confessed to authorities that he had raped the 10-year-old on at least two occasions, according to the Columbus Dispatch, which first reported the news.”
Hot on the right
Youngkin hits Nebraska like a GOP star, but some want him to take it slow
“Many Nebraska Republicans who heard him speak said they would love to see Youngkin run for president — though some cautioned that the next election might be too soon. ‘I think he needs to continue to work hard for the people of Virginia,’ said Jim Bunch, 62, a Nebraska GOP delegate who has lived in Virginia and got his photo taken with Youngkin. ‘At some point down the road he would be an attractive candidate for national office,’” Gregory S. Schneider reports.
Today in Washington
Biden is in Israel today. At 12:45 p.m. Eastern time, he will attend the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah Games and meet with U.S. athletes.
In closing
Are there any Jan. 6-hearings superfans in your life?
“In most ways, the hearings of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol are like any hot TV show of the moment: Loyal viewers dissect each episode, go to bed still thinking about it, bite their nails over its latest reveal, yell back at the screen, recap it breathlessly for one another (or let the Rachel Maddows of the world recap it for them), send around links to critical analyses, implore those who haven’t been watching to get with it, catch up, join the program,” Travis M. Andrews, Roxanne Roberts and Jada Yuan report.
“In other ways, it’s this inexorable, anxiety-producing drag — you know you should tune in, pay attention as democracy dangles off a cliff, but your heart just can’t take it.”
Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.