"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States… and after appropriate consultations with the Congress, I hereby make the following determinations and authorize the following actions: The admission of up to 125,000 refugees to the United States during Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest," Biden said on Friday.
He also set regional caps for five global regions, in addition to setting aside 10,000 spots to be allocated at a later date should the need arise. The authorization allows for 40,000 refugees from Africa, 15,000 from East Asia, 10,00 from Europe and Central Asia, 15,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 35,000 for the Near East and South Asia in addition to the 10,000 unallocated spots.
Biden added that the State Department may, after notifying the Judiciary Committees of the Congress, transfer unused admissions allocated from one region to another if the needs of the regions shift.