John Oliver criticises Joe Biden for delaying raising the refugee cap

NME

John Oliver has criticised Joe Biden over his delay in raising the cap on refugee admissions.

The talk show host addressed the status of the United States Refugee Admissions Program on Last Week Tonight, per the Hollywood Reporter, commenting on Biden’s promises to reverse Donald Trump‘s policies which drastically reduced admissions rates.

“The US used to be a world leader in how many refugees we accepted, but this fucking guy,” Oliver said on Sunday (April 11), pointing to a photo of Trump, “not only slashed the admissions low down to a historic annual low of 15,000, he also added discriminatory eligibility categories that have blocked many Muslim and African refugees from coming to the US.”

Oliver then recalled Biden’s pledge to “reverse Trump’s policies” by raising the admissions cap to 62,500 this year, and increasing it once more the following year.

However, Oliver pointed out that Biden is yet to sign the Presidential Determination which would reverse Trump’s rules. “It has been hard to get a straight answer from this administration on why,” he said.

He went on to say that Jen Psaki, Biden’s press secretary, failed to provide a clear answer on when Biden would be likely to sign the Determination.

“Props to Jen Psaki there,” he began, “only a few months into the job and she’s already waving away concerns about stranded refugees with the ease of a Spirit Airlines gate agent letting you know your flight’s delayed: ‘Rest assured, we’re committed to getting you to Orlando eventually. We just can’t tell you where your plane is, why it’s taking so long and what year you might arrive.’”

He continued: “Remember, these are vulnerable people who may have surrendered their belongings or homes in anticipation of leaving the country or who are having to wait in camps.

“For Biden, this is actually really simple … he just needs to sign a piece of paper. And for a guy who clearly wanted to be the person who ‘restored the soul of America’ – a phrase he’s uttered many times – it is past time for him to look deep into his own, pick up a fucking pen and do the right thing.”

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