The head of the U.N. refugee agency has expressed understanding towards the Biden administration's new restrictions on asylum-seekers entering the United States. However, he cautioned that certain aspects of the executive order may violate refugee protection required by international law.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees made these remarks as the agency released its annual 'Global Trends' report for 2023, revealing a rise in forced displacement to 120 million individuals, an increase of 6 million from the previous year.
The report highlighted that the total number of displaced individuals was roughly equivalent to the entire population of Japan. It noted that three-fourths of those forcibly displaced resided in poor or middle-income countries, emphasizing that migrant and refugee flows are not solely a concern for wealthy nations.
The report drew attention to overlooked crises in Africa, particularly in Sudan, where conflict between rival generals led to the displacement of approximately 10.8 million people by the end of the previous year.
The U.N. refugee agency chief criticized the Biden administration's plans to impose new restrictions on asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexican border, suggesting it could breach international humanitarian law. Despite this, he commended the administration's goal of resettling 125,000 refugees in the U.S. as a commendable display of generosity.
Meanwhile, a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups in the U.S. has filed a lawsuit against the administration over the recent directive on asylum claims at the southern border, likening it to a previous move by the Trump administration that was blocked by the courts.
The report also shed light on the challenges faced by refugees and internally displaced individuals in conflict-ridden countries such as Congo and Myanmar. It underscored Syria as the world's largest displacement crisis, with nearly 14 million people forcibly displaced both within the country and abroad.
