Nearly 37,000 refugees from Afghanistan are settling across the country in what is just the first stage of the largest resettlement operation seen in the United States since the end of the Vietnam War. The effort serves as a sudden and urgent test of President Joe Biden’s approach to refugees and immigrants following the harmful and restrictive policies of the Trump administration.
Early signals from the Biden administration had already suggested a shift to a more welcoming America for immigrants. Recently, the President brought six DACA recipients to the Oval Office to discuss his immigration policy priorities, which have included a reversal of Trump-era visa restrictions and the reinstatement of the Obama-era Task Force on New Americans to promote immigrant integration. Public sentiment may also be shifting: a recent Gallup poll found that 77% of Americans think immigration is “a good thing.” For the first time since 1965, a majority of Americans say they want to see immigration increase. Resettling Afghan refugees, in particular, has wide bipartisan support.
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