A group of Democrats led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is urging the Biden administration to consider extending refugee status for some Palestinians fleeing the violence in Gaza.
The nearly 70 Democrats sent a letter 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 lawful permanent resident family members.
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 strict security screening before arriving in the United States.
“Since 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,” the letter said.
“We appreciate the steps that the Biden Administration has taken to evacuate American citizens from Gaza,” the letter continued. “However, 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.”
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, CBS News reported in April.
“Cases came before my office and I asked my staff to be very specific,” Durbin said, speaking to reporters on Thursday. “There’s 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.”
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 memorandum 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.
Senate Republicans have seized on discussions about granting refugee status to some Palestinians, calling it a national security risk. More than two dozen Republican senators penned a letter to Biden in May, saying they are “not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States.”
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’s handling of the war in Gaza, while immigration has also been a topic on which Democrats are vulnerable ahead of the election.
“I’ve been clear that allowing anyone to enter the country without being properly vetted and going through a legal process undermines our national security,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said speaking to reporters in early May. “And that neighboring countries in the region, including Egypt and Jordan, should play a leading role in taking in refugees.
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Another Senate Democrat in a competitive reelection battle, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), has relayed a similar message.
“I’m focused on ensuring the safe release of hostages held by Hamas and am closely monitoring the current negotiations,” she said in May.
Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.