The United States may soon open its doors to a large number of Arabs in Gaza under its refugee program.
As per CBS News, citing internal federal government documents, senior officials across several federal US agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Arabs from Gaza.
One proposed approach involves utilizing the long-established US Refugee Admissions Program to accept Palestinians who have ties to the US and have already successfully fled Gaza. Those who meet the necessary eligibility criteria and pass rigorous medical and security screenings would be eligible to travel to the US with refugee status. This status provides recipients with permanent residency, access to resettlement assistance such as housing support, and a pathway to citizenship.
Officials are also reportedly considering evacuating Arabs from Gaza via Egypt and processing them as refugees if they have family members in the US. However, these plans would require collaboration with Egypt’s government, which historically has been unwilling to accept significant numbers of refugees from Gaza.
If implemented, the proposals to resettle Gazans as refugees would represent a significant departure from long-established US policy and practice. Since the US refugee program was established in 1980, it has not resettled substantial numbers of Arabs. However, the Biden administration has substantially increased refugee admissions in recent years, with a target of accepting up to 125,000 refugees by year’s end, according to the report.
