According to secret federal government documents obtained by CBS News, the Biden administration is thinking of admitting some Palestinians as refugees, providing a permanent safe haven for some of those escaping war-torn Gaza.
According to the documents, senior officials from a number of federal U.S. agencies have held discussions in recent weeks regarding the viability of various options for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza who have close family members who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
According to the interagency planning documents, one of those suggestions calls for accepting Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to flee Gaza and enter nearby Egypt through the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program.
According to the documents, top U.S. officials have also talked of evacuating more Palestinians from Gaza and processing them as refugees if they had American relations.
Coordination with Egypt would be necessary for the plans, as it has thus far declined to accept a sizable influx of Gaza residents.
A route to American citizenship, permanent residency, and resettlement advantages like housing assistance are among the privileges that come with having refugee status, which entitles holders to travel to the country upon passing a battery of eligibility, medical, and security checks.
The plans to relocate some Palestinians as refugees would represent a change in long-standing practices and policies of the US government. The United States’ refugee program did not resettle many Palestinians since it began in 1980.
In the last ten years, the United States has taken in over 400,000 refugees who were escaping conflict and bloodshed worldwide. There were fewer than 600 Palestinians.
According to State Department figures, the United States admitted 56 Palestinian refugees in fiscal year 2023, representing 0.09% of the over 60,000 refugees relocated during that 12-month period.
Even while the decision would probably be supported by many Democrats, accepting Palestinians as refugees would present the Biden administration with even more political difficulties in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Already, the issue has split communities across America, spurred large-scale protests on college campuses, and revealed divisions within the Democratic Party.
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Those who want to enter the United States as refugees must demonstrate that they are being persecuted because of their nationality, religion, or political beliefs, among other reasons.
While some Palestinians might claim they are escaping Hamas persecution, others would name Israel’s military and government—a major ally and recipient of US assistance—as their persecutors.
Republicans may likewise object to the resettlement of Palestinian refugees, although its modest scope. These parties have attempted to use immigration and unauthorized border crossings as campaign platform points for November’s elections.
The Biden administration has significantly increased refugee resettlement after former President Donald Trump cut it to all-time lows. Up to 125,000 refugees are expected to be admitted by US officials in fiscal year 2024, which concludes at the end of September.
