WASHINGTON, 22 September 2021, (TON): United States President Joe Biden’s proposal to raise the target for refugee resettlement there in the coming fiscal year to 125,000 people, has been welcomed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, briefing journalists in Geneva said “this plan reflects the commitment of the US Government and the American people to help ensure that the world’s most vulnerable refugees have a chance to rebuild their lives in safety.”

Monday’s move fulfils an earlier pledge to raise a cap that had been cut to 15,000 under his predecessor, Donald Trump; the lowest since the 1980 Refugee Act took effect.

Ms. Mantoo said that the plan emphasizes “the importance of all countries doing their part” in responding to the needs of refugees.

The announcement comes after US officials said that more than 6,000 Haitians, together with other migrants, had been removed from an encampment at Del Rio, Texas and immediately repatriated.

The Caribbean island nation has been rocked by a recent earthquake, flooding and a political crisis caused by the assassination of its Prime Minister.

“We are disturbed by the images we’ve seen and by the fact that we’ve seen all these migrants and refugees and asylum seekers being transported to Port-au-Prince,” said UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson, Marta Hurtado, who raised concerns that some refugees may not have been individually assessed and therefore may not have received that protection that they need.