How Cities Will Make or Break Biden on Refugee Resettlement
The president’s plan will depend on refugee groups whose clout and resources shrank drastically under Trump’s tenure.
'Immigrants and Refugees Welcome' signage outside Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta in 2019. In 2017 and 2018 Atlanta resettled the highest number of refugees of any U.S. city.
Photographer: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
President Joe Biden has pledged to once again make the U.S. a haven for the “huddled masses yearning to break free,” the words adorning the Statue of Liberty at the most famous immigration gateway in the world.
But New York City is no longer the first destination of choice for refugees; cities like Salt Lake City, Buffalo and Kansas City are emerging as the new havens, and they have their work cut out for them to meet Biden’s record targets.