The U.S. took in fewer than 26,000 refugees this past fiscal year, roughly 100,000 short of the Biden administration’s stated goal but significantly more than the previous fiscal year, according to official data released Wednesday by the State Department.
The federal government resettled 25,465 refugees in fiscal 2022, which spans from October 2021 through September. The final figure, which was not unexpected based on public monthly data reports, marks a significant uptick from the roughly 11,000 refugees resettled in fiscal 2021, which was a record low in the history of the refugee resettlement program.
But the fiscal 2022 total still falls far below what President Joe Biden had promised when he set a refugee admissions goal of 125,000 last year, a lofty aim his administration has again set for fiscal 2023, which began over the weekend.
