Joe Biden chose the setting of one of the Catholic Church's leading refugee support organizations' events to state for the first time as president-elect that he will dramatically increase the target for refugee admissions to the United States, offering a stark contrast to the historic lows under President Donald Trump that were long protested by Catholic leaders.
The Catholic president-elect who repeatedly invoked his faith on the campaign trail, said he would raise the annual admission target to 125,000, marking a sharp increase to the Trump administration's cap of 15,000 individuals.
"A Biden-Harris administration will restore America's historic role in protecting the vulnerable and defending the rights of refugees everywhere," he said.
Last June, on World Refugee Day, Biden had previously pledged to increase the refugee ceiling, but this is the first time he has committed to doing so as president-elect.
His remarks came on Nov. 12 during a virtual 40th anniversary celebration for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. Established in 1980 as an initiative of the Society of Jesus, the organization works around the globe to resettle refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.
"This is a great organization. This organization was founded to serve the needs of some of the most vulnerable among us," Biden said in a prerecorded message. "JRS believes that in the stranger, we actually meet our neighbor and that every society is ultimately judged by how we treat those most in need."
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