In this New York Times article, Julie Hirschfeld Davis reports that President Obama recently announced plans to extend its current refugee program to admit Central American Refugees into the United States. According to the article, the administration plans to expand its program that allows unaccompanied minors to enter the United States as refugees.
Davis notes that there are currently 9,500 applications for the children’s refugee program. The White House also entered into an agreement with Costa Rica wherein Costa Rica will take in refugees while these applicants wait to get approved for admission into the United States. The UN high commission has also agreed to review requests while the applicants are still in their home countries.
Davis reports that the Republicans call this latest expansion an abuse of authority by the Obama administration. The administration is heeding the concerns of the many advocates who are in favor of a more liberal refugee plan. Davis further notes how “heartbreaking” this situation has been for the administration.
Davis reports that so far the program has been unsuccessful due to the snail’s pace of the process. Only 600 people have been able to enter the U.S. as refugees since the influx began. People have to meet strict guidelines in order to be admitted as a refugee. The new process should provide relief for long-suffering refugees. Advocates consider these changes long overdue.