The Biden administration has introduced a new refugee program, Welcome Corps, allowing U.S. sponsors to nominate specific refugees for resettlement in the United States.
By yourNEWS Media Staff
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration announced the launch of a novel refugee program on Tuesday, named the Welcome Corps. This initiative permits groups of at least five U.S. citizens or permanent residents to nominate individuals or families for sponsorship, provided they fulfill certain criteria and pass background checks. The program is expected to involve a diverse range of participants, including relatives of refugees, religious groups, LGBT organizations, and veterans.
Traditionally, refugees entering the United States were primarily selected by the United Nations and the U.S. State Department. However, this program marks a shift in the resettlement process by directly engaging American citizens in the effort.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat running for reelection in 2024, has been actively developing various programs to facilitate legal entry into the U.S. for migrants and asylum-seekers. Through the Welcome Corps, the administration aims to bring in 10,000 refugees as part of a larger goal of admitting 125,000 refugees in the fiscal year 2024. Under U.S. law, refugee status is available to those applying from overseas, while those already in the U.S. can seek a different status known as asylum.
The program has met with differing views. While former President Donald Trump, a leading Republican candidate, significantly reduced refugee admissions during his tenure and is advocating for stricter immigration policies, Sarah Cross, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the State Department, believes Americans are eager to assist refugees. She highlighted that the program simplifies the process of helping refugees in a safe, orderly, and legal manner.
One of the individuals planning to utilize this program is Mangok Bol, a 45-year-old Sudanese refugee who resettled in the U.S. over two decades ago. Bol, a “Lost Boy” who fled Sudan during a civil war, now works at Brandeis University and aims to sponsor his nieces and nephews, currently in Kenya and Uganda, through the Welcome Corps.
Since its inception in January 2023, the private sponsorship initiative has seen 85 refugees enter the U.S., with numbers on the rise. To be eligible, potential refugees must have been registered with the U.N. by September 30, 2023. This cutoff is designed to prevent people from leaving their home countries solely to participate in the program.
Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans may also apply if they meet the refugee criteria and had pending applications through a separate Biden “parole” program.
Luwam Abraham, a 30-year-old Eritrean-American, is also planning to use the Welcome Corps to bring six family members from Eritrean refugee camps in Ethiopia to the U.S. As a director at a long-term care facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she and her coworkers have raised the necessary funds to meet the sponsorship minimum of $2,425 per person. Abraham emphasizes the importance of having a personal contact in the U.S. to help with language and cultural adaptation for new immigrants.