NEWS — The Biden administration is considering bringing certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a move that would offer a safe haven to some of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News.https://t.co/LcqJqwnLqz
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) April 30, 2024
How many edges can a metaphorical sword have? The whole existence of UNRWA, as I understand it, rests on the theory that Palestinians must never leave their precinct (unlike members of every other displaced group, like three of my four Irish grandparents). And, of course, there is the sad history of American political schizophrenia: Support foreign rebellions, reject refugees from those same rebellions. Per CBS News, “White House considers welcoming some Palestinians from war-torn Gaza as refugees”:
The Biden administration is considering bringing certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a move that would offer a permanent safe haven to some of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News.
In recent weeks, the documents show, senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents.
One of those proposals involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to welcome Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to escape Gaza and enter neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency planning documents.
Top U.S. officials have also discussed getting additional Palestinians out of Gaza and processing them as refugees if they have American relatives, the documents show. The plans would require coordination with Egypt, which has so far refused to welcome large numbers of people from Gaza.
Those who pass a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings would qualify to fly to the U.S. with refugee status, which offers beneficiaries permanent residency, resettlement benefits like housing assistance and a path to American citizenship…
CBS News has reached out to the White House, Department of Homeland Security and State Department for comment.
The proposals to resettle certain Palestinians as refugees would mark a shift in longstanding U.S. government policy and practice. Since its inception in 1980, the U.S. refugee program has not resettled Palestinians in large numbers…
The resettlement of Palestinian refugees, even if small in scale, could also garner criticism from Republicans, who have sought to make concerns about immigration and illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border defining issues in November’s elections.
Soon after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and the start of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, leading Republicans, including presidential candidates, said the U.S. should not welcome Palestinian refugees, claiming that they are antisemitic and potential national security risks.
In recent years, the Biden administration has dramatically increased refugee resettlement, which was slashed to record lows by former President Donald Trump. U.S. officials have set a goal of admitting up to 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, which ends at the end of September.
Sorta Foreign Affairs Open Thread: Welcoming Palestinian RefugeesPost + Comments (67)