Still no explanation for why Biden hasn't signed the paperwork, which he said he'd do back in Feb.
And to be clear: issue isn't only raising "cap"; it's also removing discriminatory restrictions Trump put in place, which effectively barred refugees from Muslim & African countries
It will be difficult to fill even the ultra-low 15k "cap" currently in place, if these restrictive criteria remain. In fact Biden is now on track to admit fewest refugees in a fiscal year of any POTUS since the modern refugee program began (this record currently belongs to Trump)
As of March 31, only 2,050 refugees have been admitted in FY 2021. Fiscal year is half over. So if same pace continues, we would expect ~4,100 refugees resettled here by end of FY.
In FY 2020, under Trump, 11,814 refugees were admitted -- and that was a record low.
Lots of immigration issues are thorny. E.g. permanent DACA fix requires act of Congress. Border issue (which is separate from refugee system) takes resources, risks attracting more migrants
But lifting Trump's refugee restrictions? Easy! Biden has almost plenary power to do so
In fact, State Dept had clearly expected Biden to have already signed the paperwork by now, since he announced plans to do it in Feb. State screened & booked flights for 715 refugees in March - only to then unticket them because Trump's restrictions unexpectedly remained in place
Refugees sold their belongings, vacated homes b/c they were told that, after years of waiting & screening, they were finally approved & ticketed for flights to US. But days before flight, State said nevermind; Trump's policies still in place after all washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

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More from @crampell

7 Apr
This from State is nonsense
Scaling up refugee cap to 125k next FY, as Biden says he wants to do, takes planning. But lifting Trump discriminatory restrictions for THIS year? Easy. Refugees already screened & ready to go. Biden just needs to sign paperwork apnews.com/article/donald…
Only 2,050 refugees have been admitted thus far this year. Year is halfway over. If pace continues & Trump’s discriminatory refugee restrictions remain in place, Biden is on track to admit lowest number of refugees in a FY of any POTUS since the modern refugee program began.
Right now, record for fewest refugees admitted belongs to Trump, with 11,841 resettled in FY 2020. But hard to imagine how Biden could possibly avoid claiming that distinction this fiscal year, since he's left in place the even-more-draconian policies Trump implemented on way out
Read 4 tweets
5 Apr
There's been a lot of commentary about how Biden is ushering in a new era of robust, active government, hearkening back to New Deal/Great Society/pre-Reagan days. Worth noting that Americans' appetite for bigger govt seems to predate his election win. 🧵
E.g., since 1992, Gallup has been asking whether government should do more to solve the country's problems. Last Aug/Sep, for the first time ever, more than half of respondents (54%) agreed. The previous peak was shortly after 9/11, when it hit 50%. Image
Of course Biden was running for president at the time, and pitching many of the policies he's rolling out now. But...we were also in a pandemic. If there are no atheists in a foxhole, there are also presumably (fewer) libertarians in a pandemic.
Read 4 tweets
26 Mar
So...why hasn't the president raised the refugee admissions ceiling and lifted Trump's discriminatory criteria, as Biden announced he would do 6 weeks ago? Trump's policies remain in place.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Fewer than 2000 refugees have been admitted thus far this year. If this pace continues & Trump administration’s discriminatory refugee restrictions remain in place, Biden is on track to admit the lowest number of refugees of any US president since the modern refugee program began
Literally all Biden needs to do is sign some paperwork. The refugees themselves, who have been waiting for years, have already been screened & vetted by UN & US officials. Hundreds were booked and then unbooked for travel, b/c State Dept thought paperwork would be signed by now
Read 5 tweets
25 Mar
Huge decline (6.8%) in high school graduates attending college immediately after high school this past fall. Biggest declines among students from high-poverty, low-income and high-minority schools. nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/upl…
Enrollment declines by type of postsecondary institution, for students from low-income vs. high-income high schools.
Community college enrollment of students from low-income high schools down 18%
Data on FAFSA completions through early March (via @NCANetwork) suggest college applications for next fall may also be way down among students from high schools with high shares of low-income and minority kids. formyourfuture.org/fafsa-tracker/
Read 6 tweets
23 Mar
Roughly twice a year, I get emails from students assigned to read a newspaper columnist's work for an English class. It is very flattering to end up in someone's curriculum! I had an assignment like this back in the day, and it's weird to be on the other end of it. /1
Part of the standard assignment today seems to be emailing the writer and getting them to respond to a question of some kind. Often the student does this by sending vague or abstract questions that take some time for me to figure out how to respond to. (See screen grab.) /2
Given other things on my plate, these requests often get pushed to the bottom of my inbox, and I end up responding late or never, which I feel lousy about. And probably the students are annoyed too. /3
Read 7 tweets
22 Mar
Much has been written about K-shaped recovery, mostly focused on jobs. High-earners doing OK; low-earners still jobless
A similar divergence is happening in housing: rents for high-end, luxury digs have plummeted; rents for poor held steady or even *rose* washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Here's a look at Chicagoland neighborhoods. Ritzier neighborhoods (e.g., River North, Old Town, Streeterville) have gotten much cheaper in the past year. In lower-income (and often majority-Black) areas like Englewood, Chatham, Washgton Park, rents are up. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
So, what's going on? Why are lower-earners getting squeezed from both directions -- drop in earnings, AND increase in rents? Why are higher-wage households getting a break on their rents that they don't really need? washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 9 tweets

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