The Biden administration is considering welcoming certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees as they seek to escape war-torn Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Internal federal government documents reveal that senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed potential options to accept Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent U.S. residents.
One proposal involves using the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to bring Palestinians with U.S. connections who have escaped Gaza and entered neighboring Egypt. U.S. officials are also considering welcoming additional Palestinians out of Gaza and processing them as refugees if they have American relatives.
If implemented, this proposal would require coordination with Egypt, which has been hesitant to welcome large numbers of people from Gaza. Eligible individuals would undergo screenings for eligibility, medical conditions, and security checks before being flown to the U.S. with refugee status, entitling them to permanent residency, resettlement benefits, and a path to American citizenship.
The number of eligible individuals is expected to be limited, but the proposed plans could offer a lifeline to some Palestinians seeking to escape the conflict in Gaza, where the Health Ministry estimates significant casualties and displacement.
President Biden's administration has already assisted American citizens and their families in leaving Gaza, with a focus on vulnerable individuals such as children with serious health issues. The U.S. remains a major contributor of humanitarian aid to Gaza to address the dire conditions and is working to expedite aid delivery to those in need.
The administration's consideration of welcoming Palestinian refugees represents a departure from past U.S. refugee policy, which has resettled only a small number of Palestinians since the program's inception in 1980. The U.S. has historically resettled refugees from various regions, with Palestinian refugees comprising a small fraction of total admissions.
While the administration's plans may face criticism from some Republican lawmakers, who have raised concerns about national security risks and antisemitism, the Biden administration has set ambitious goals for refugee resettlement, aiming to accept up to 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024.
