White House considers welcoming some Palestinians from Gaza as refugees

The Biden medication is considering bringing definite Palestinians to the U.S. arsenic refugees, a determination that would connection a imperishable harmless haven to immoderate of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to interior national authorities documents obtained by CBS News.

In caller weeks, the documents show, elder officials crossed respective national U.S. agencies person discussed the practicality of antithetic options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who person contiguous household members who are American citizens oregon imperishable residents.

One of those proposals involves utilizing the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to invited Palestinians with U.S. ties who person managed to flight Gaza and participate neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency readying documents.

Top U.S. officials person besides discussed getting further Palestinians retired of Gaza and processing them arsenic refugees if they person American relatives, the documents show. The plans would necessitate coordination with Egypt, which has truthful acold refused to invited ample numbers of radical from Gaza.

Those who walk a bid of eligibility, aesculapian and information screenings would suffice to alert to the U.S. with exile status, which offers beneficiaries imperishable residency, resettlement benefits similar lodging assistance and a way to American citizenship.

While the eligible colonisation is expected to beryllium comparatively small, the plans being discussed by U.S. officials could connection a lifeline to immoderate Palestinians fleeing the Israel-Hamas war, which section nationalist wellness authorities accidental has claimed the lives of much than 34,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians successful Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians beryllium extracurricular to flight the searing vigor successful their campy tents successful Deir El-Balah, successful the cardinal Gaza Strip, connected April 28, 2024. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Israeli authorities launched a subject violative and aerial bombardment of Gaza aft Hamas staged an unprecedented onslaught crossed Israel connected Oct. 7, sidesplitting astir 1,200 people, astir of them civilians. Hamas militants besides abducted much than 200 people, galore of whom proceed to beryllium successful captivity.

CBS News has reached retired to the White House, Department of Homeland Security and State Department for comment.

The proposals to resettle definite Palestinians arsenic refugees would people a displacement successful longstanding U.S. authorities argumentation and practice. Since its inception successful 1980, the U.S. exile programme has not resettled Palestinians successful ample numbers.

Over the past decade, the U.S. has resettled much than 400,000 refugees fleeing unit and warfare crossed the globe. Fewer than 600 were Palestinian. In fiscal twelvemonth 2023, the U.S. welcomed 56 Palestinian refugees, oregon 0.09% of the much than 60,000 refugees resettled during those 12 months, State Department statistics show.

While galore Democrats would apt enactment the move, admitting Palestinians arsenic refugees could spur adjacent much governmental challenges for the Biden medication related to the Israel-Hamas war. The struggle has already exposed rifts wrong the Democratic Party, triggered monolithic protests connected assemblage campuses and divided communities crossed America.

To suffice to participate the U.S. arsenic a refugee, applicants person to beryllium they are fleeing persecution based connected definite factors, specified arsenic their nationality, religion oregon governmental views. While immoderate Palestinians could accidental they are fleeing repression by Hamas, others could place the subject and authorities of Israel, a apical U.S. state and recipient of American aid, arsenic a persecutor. 

The resettlement of Palestinian refugees, adjacent if tiny successful scale, could besides garner disapproval from Republicans, who person sought to marque concerns astir migration and amerciable crossings astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline defining issues successful November's elections.  

Soon aft the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and the commencement of Israel's violative successful Gaza, starring Republicans, including statesmanlike candidates, said the U.S. should not invited Palestinian refugees, claiming that they are antisemitic and imaginable nationalist information risks.

In caller years, the Biden medication has dramatically accrued exile resettlement, which was slashed to grounds lows by erstwhile President Donald Trump. U.S. officials person acceptable a extremity of admitting up to 125,000 refugees successful fiscal twelvemonth 2024, which ends astatine the extremity of September.