On Wednesday, February 14, President Joe Biden signed an order deferring the deportation of Palestinians seeking refuge in the United States. The order will grant “deferred enforced departure” to approximately 7,000 people.
“We see the situation in Gaza and Palestine is not getting better, and this is something that is welcome, and we are glad to see it implemented,” American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Executive Director Abed Ayoub said.
Since October 7, 2023, Human Rights Watch estimates at least 27,478 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza adds that an additional 66,835 Palestinians injured, including 11,500 children. As recently as January, the World Health Organization said the people of Gaza were “starving to death” due to aid restrictions imposed on the region. While the death toll continues to rise and the people of Gaza deal with aid restrictions, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has estimated that 1.7 million or 75% of Gaza’s population has been displaced.
“The ongoing genocide in Gaza has already led to 30,000 deaths, and a humanitarian crisis that is impacting millions of Palestanians. Ensuring that Palestanians in the U.S. are not removed/deported back into harm’s way is an important step, and one we welcome,” Ayoub stated.
“In addition to continuing our call for an immediate ceasefire, we call on the administration to take additional steps of reuniting Palestinian families through the humanitarian parole process.”
