US says record-low refugee admissions partly due to pandemic

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration says the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulty of reversing Trump administration policies were responsible for the record-low number of refugees admitted to the United States during the 2021 budget year. The State Department, in an email Tuesday to The Associated Press, said 11,411 refugees had been allowed into the United States during the budget year that ended Thursday. That was less than the previous low — 11,814 in 2020 — and far below the 62,500 ceiling President Joe Biden had set in May. The Associated Press reported Monday that admissions hit a record low, citing a person who had access to the information but spoke on condition of anonymity.