Refugee resettlement in the month of February

The United States resettled 10,252 refugees in February 2024 which is 1,054 more than were resettled in January 2024. This is the highest monthly arrival number since fiscal year 2016. The total number of refugee arrivals for FY2024 to this point is 41,243. If the U.S. continues to resettle the same number of refugees per month through the end of the fiscal year, the number will reach 113,007 of the 125,000 cap set by the Biden administration for FY 2024. In addition, the administration committed to increase the number of refugees coming from Latin America and the Caribbean to between 35,000 and 50,000 in FY2024. In February, the U.S. resettled 2,651 refugees from that region, which is a significant increase of 1,011 from those resettled in January.

Supreme Court keeps a temporary hold on a Texas immigration bill 

On February 29, U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra blocked the Texas state administration from implementing a state immigration law that would have made it a state crime to cross the border between ports of entry. In his order, Judge Ezra stated that states cannot carry out immigration enforcement without the approval of the federal government. He also rejected Texas’ claim that people crossing the border is an “invasion”, writing that "surges in immigration do not constitute an 'invasion' within the meaning of the Constitution." 

However, on March 2, a federal appeals court granted the state’s request to intervene and granted a temporary stay of Judge Ezra’s decision, but put its ruling on hold for 7 days to give the Justice Department time to appeal to the U.S Supreme Court. Subsequently, the Supreme Court extended the hold and gave Texas until March 11 to tell the Court why the hold should be lifted.