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UN Refugee Chief Encouraged by Changes in US Resettlement Program

VOA News

   WASHINGTON - U.N. High Commissioner for RefugeesFilippo Grandisaysthe
   asylum system in the United States has become "unmanageable" and that
   his agencysupports"a gradual improvement towards a more effective and
   humane migration system."

   In an interview withVOA, Grandi said such reform is a complex operation
   that will take years to achieve, but that he is encouraged by what he
   has seen from the Biden administration after a big cut in resettlements
   during the Trump administration.

   "We support that because that is the indispensable piece in a broader
   exercise to handle human mobility in Central America,which includes the
   movement of people that are refugees because they flee from
   violence,from persecution, from discrimination," he said. "That work
   has to be done at every level,has to be done in the countries of
   origin--mostly Honduras, El Salvador,to an extent Guatemala--has to be
   donein the countries of transit, including Guatemala itself and
   Mexico,and has to be done at the border."

   The maximum number of refugees allowed into the United States fell from
   85,000 in 2016 to 18,000 in 2020.The Biden administration has boosted
   the cap to 62,500 refugee admissions this year, with plans to boost it
   further to 125,000.

   Grandi said in addition to the decline inU.S. capacity, the coronavirus
   pandemic also helped to drastically affect refugee resettlement
   throughout the world during 2020.He said the total number of
   resettlements fell from about 100,000 in 2019 to 34,000 last year.
   Asylum-seeking migrants from Venezuela board a U.S. Border Patrol's bus
   to be transported after crossing the Rio Grande River into the United
   States from Mexico in Del Rio, Texas, May 27, 2021.

   "We had to suspend resettlement travel simply because there were no
   more flights," he told VOA."We couldn't use the routes because they
   were not operating. These are realities that are now being slowly
   overcome,but it will take some time."

   Grandi said the coronavirus pandemic has madeitclear that countries
   "can't cope alone" and that governments sometimes need help explaining
   to their citizens the value of programs to help refugees.

   "They need international support,especially when they embark on
   policies that may be difficult,even controversial, for their own
   domestic audiences," Grandi said. "International support helps explain
   to their populations the importance of thesevery goodpolicies."

   He highlightedprogress inColombia,which in February announced 10-year
   protective status for 1.7 million displacedVenezuelans.

   "Already more than one million Venezuelans have entered the first phase
   of the registration.This isamazing," Grandi said."Andalso,in a
   situation in which Colombia itself has difficult challenges--the
   pandemic, the social and political unrest, residual displacement from
   the conflict, the peace process.So, in the middle of all this, I think
   that for Colombia to embrace a very forward-looking inclusive refugee
   and migration policy isvery important."

   However, Grandi said Colombia's actionrepresents"one of the bright
   spots in this very negative picture."

   He cited the continuing challenge ofspike in the number ofpeople being
   forcedto leavetheir homes, a number that rose by3 million peoplelast
   yeartoreach82.4 million at the end of 2020, accordingtothe U.N. Refugee
   Agency UNHCR.

   "It means that wars, discrimination,bad governance, often combined with
   other factors like climate change, inequality and poverty, demographic
   imbalances,all of this has not stopped human mobility,especially the
   forced aspects of human mobility," Grandi said."The secretary general
   issued many calls for a global cease-fire.Frankly,it was not really
   heeded."

   Despite the ongoing challenges, when asked what message he has for
   refugees, Grandi said, "Don't lose courage."

   "We draw ourselves encouragement from your resilience. Don't give upand
   we will be there with you to help you move on," he said.

   VOA Spanish service's[1]Celia Mendozacontributed to this reportfrom
   Columbia.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/author/celia-mendoza

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