Kaine & Colleagues Urge Administration to Consider Refugee Status for Certain Palestinian Refugees

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), joined a bicameral group of lawmakers in sending a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Biden Administration to consider Palestinian refugees with U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family members for resettlement in the U.S. In the letter, lawmakers expressed strong support for a Priority-2 (P-2) designation under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for Palestinians who are affected by the ongoing violence in Gaza and who are relatives of American citizens or lawful permanent residents.

"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. We appreciate the steps that the Biden Administration has taken to evacuate American citizens from Gaza. 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 lawmakers wrote. "We urge you to consider opening pathways to Palestinian refugees, particularly those with family members in the United States, to seek relief in the United States."

The lawmakers continued, "Given the dire conditions currently on the ground in Gaza, it is time for this to change. Specifically, we urge you to designate certain categories of Palestinians and their eligible family members, particularly close relatives of American citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents, for access to the USRAP."

In addition to Kaine, the letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

Kaine has repeatedly called for the delivery of more humanitarian aid in Gaza. He has also urged all parties to accept President Biden's proposed deal to release hostages held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire. Following reports of a pending major weapons transfer from the U.S. to Israel, Kaine called on the Administration to ensure that any further arms transfers to Israel be comprised primarily of defensive weapons. In February, Kaine supported passage of a national security package, including defensive support for Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas:

We write to strongly support a Priority-2 (P-2) designation under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for certain Palestinians.

In the eight months since the horrific October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas and the commencement of Israel's military response, conditions in the Palestinian territories have greatly deteriorated. According to reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of June 14, 2024, at least 37,266 Palestinians have been killed and 85,102 Palestinians have been injured. The United Nations estimates that 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza out of a total population of 2.2 million. And recently the Director of the United Nations World Food Program stated that northern Gaza is experiencing a "full-blown famine" and that the famine is spreading south.

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. We appreciate the steps that the Biden Administration has taken to evacuate American citizens from Gaza. 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.

We urge you to consider opening pathways to Palestinian refugees, particularly those with family members in the United States, to seek relief in the United States. Historically, the U.S. has resettled very few Palestinian refugees, including only 56 refugees, or 0.09 percent of the total number of resettled refugees, in fiscal year 2023 and only 16 so far in fiscal year 2024. Given the dire conditions currently on the ground in Gaza, it is time for this to change. Specifically, we urge you to designate certain categories of Palestinians and their eligible family members, particularly close relatives of American citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents, for access to the USRAP.

The USRAP has long provided a secure pathway to resettle refugees in the United States, with the most rigorous vetting of any traveler coming to the U.S. All individuals who are considered for refugee status in the U.S. must not only demonstrate their eligibility, but also complete a USCIS interview, provide biometric data, and pass both medical exams and strict security screening prior to approval to come to the United States. Moreover, national security and foreign policy experts have long viewed the refugee program as a valuable tool for the United States to decompress conflicts abroad, strengthen regional stability, and set an example for other countries.

We believe the time has come for the United States to lead in this manner and grant a P-2 designation for refugee processing for certain Palestinians who are relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents and are affected by the ongoing violence.

Sincerely,

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