{"id":2272956,"date":"2024-06-20T19:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T23:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-call-on-biden-administration-to-open-pathways-for-palestinian-refugees\/"},"modified":"2024-06-20T19:32:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T23:32:22","slug":"democrats-call-on-biden-administration-to-open-pathways-for-palestinian-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-call-on-biden-administration-to-open-pathways-for-palestinian-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats urge Biden administration to create entry routes for Palestinian refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-call-on-biden-administration-to-open-pathways-for-palestinian-refugees%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2272956&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A \u2064group \u200cof nearly 70 Democrats, led \u200bby Senator\u200c Dick Durbin (D-IL), has reached out\u2062 to the Biden administration urging it to consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-proposes-granting-refugee-status-for-climate-change-activism\/\" title=\"White House Report Proposes Granting Refugee Status For \u2018Climate Change Activism\u2019\">granting refugee status<\/a> to\u200d certain Palestinians from Gaza. They\u200c have requested a priority-2 designation for Palestinians who have relatives in the U.S.,\u200c which would provide them special \u2062access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. If approved, these individuals would undergo rigorous screening processes, including interviews, biometric data submission, medical exams, and strict security checks before admission into the U.S. This call for action\u2063 follows significant \u2064distress among U.S.\u2064 constituents\u200c trying to reunite with family members amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which began over eight months ago when Hamas attacked southern Israel. Historically, very few Palestinian refugees have been \u200cresettled in the U.S., and the letter highlights the urgent need to address current humanitarian crises and improve pathways for reunification of families with strong U.S. ties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A group of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" Democrats\"> Democrats<\/a> led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)\">Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)<\/a> is urging the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Biden Administration\">Biden administration<\/a> to consider extending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/refugees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"refugee\">refugee<\/a> status for some Palestinians fleeing the violence in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Gaza\">Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The nearly 70 Democrats<a href=\"https:\/\/www.durbin.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/on-world-refugee-day-durbin-leads-nearly-70-members-of-congress-in-letter-urging-administration-to-consider-certain-palestinians-fleeing-gaza-for-refugee-status\"> sent a letter<\/a> to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday, encouraging them to grant priority-2 designation for Palestinians who are affected by the war in Gaza and are relatives of U.S. citizens or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-democrats-call-to-welcome-palestinian-refugees-is-so-complicated-for-biden\/\" title=\"Why Biden finds Democrats' push to accept Palestinian refugees complex\">lawful permanent resident family members<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>A priority-2 designation gives those looking to relocate special access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program based on the need for resettlement. The refugees would need to demonstrate their eligibility by completing an interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, providing biometric data, and passing medical exams and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-requests-30-billion-for-resettling-afghans-natural-disaster-recovery\/\" title=\"White House Requests  Billion For Resettling Afghans, Natural Disaster Recovery\">strict security screening<\/a> before arriving in the United States.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSince the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, many congressional offices have received distressing requests for assistance from constituents desperately seeking to reunite with their loved ones,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe appreciate the steps that the Biden Administration has taken to evacuate American citizens from Gaza,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cHowever, without pathways for Americans to petition for their relatives in Gaza, countless families with strong ties to our nation remain stranded in life-threatening conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The letter noted that, historically, the U.S. has resettled very few Palestinian refugees, including only 56 refugees, or 0.09% of the total number of resettled refugees, in fiscal 2023 and only 16 so far in fiscal 2024. Of the more than 400,000 refugees resettled by the U.S. in the last 10 years, fewer than 600 were Palestinian, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/palestinian-refugees-us-gaza-white-house\/\">CBS News reported<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCases came before my office and I asked my staff to be very specific,\u201d Durbin said, speaking to reporters on Thursday. \u201cThere\u2019s some outrageous humanitarian situations where those who are trapped in Gaza, one surviving child from a family. I think that really begs the situation where we ought to take a look at that on a humanitarian basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It has been more than eight months since the war in Gaza began when Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, killing 1,200 people in the Jewish state and abducting 250 others. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2024\/02\/14\/memorandum-on-the-deferred-enforced-departure-for-certain-palestinians\/\">memorandum<\/a> to Blinken and Mayorkas earlier this year, President Joe Biden directed them to defer the removal of certain Palestinians living in the U.S. for 18 months as a result of the conflict. <\/p>\n<p>Senate Republicans have seized on discussions about granting refugee status to some Palestinians, calling it a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-considering-not-giving-trump-intelligence-briefings\/\" title=\"Biden Considering Not Giving Trump Intelligence Briefings\">national security risk<\/a>. More than two dozen Republican senators penned<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/gazan_refugees_letter.pdf\"> a letter<\/a> to Biden in May, saying they are \u201cnot confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection have expressed some opposition to the idea. Allowing Palestinian refugees into the U.S. could be seen as a referendum on Israel\u2019s handling of the war in Gaza, while immigration has also been a topic on which Democrats are vulnerable ahead of the election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been clear that allowing anyone to enter the country without being properly vetted and going through a legal process undermines our national security,\u201d Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said speaking to reporters in early May. \u201cAnd that neighboring countries in the region, including Egypt and Jordan, should play a leading role in taking in refugees.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>Another Senate Democrat in a competitive reelection battle, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), has relayed a similar message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m focused on ensuring the safe release of hostages held by Hamas and am closely monitoring the current negotiations,\u201d she said in May.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A coalition of nearly 70 Democrats, spearheaded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), has requested the Biden administration to extend refugee status to Palestinians escaping Gaza&#8217;s conflict. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, they advocated for a priority-2 designation for these individuals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2272957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24168587175257-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2272956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24168587175257-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2272957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}