Opting against his initial plan, President Joe Biden is delaying the plans for an expansion in the number of refugees allowed into the United States and instead will maintain the historically low ceiling of 15,000 people, according to media reports.

Previously, Biden had expressed his interest in allowing up to 62,500 refugees to enter the country, according to Reuters, however, he is keeping the strict limit set by his predecessor Donald Trump owing to the need to “rebuild” the program and the ongoing pandemic, a senior administration official said Friday, as per AFP inputs.

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Citing a faulty admission system under the Trump administration, the official said that it would require a “major overhaul” before the Biden administration can go forward with the numbers that they have committed to.

“That build back is and has been happening and will enable us to support much-increased admissions numbers in future years.”

Although the official did not give a date for when the overhaul would come to open the doors to a wider number of refugees, but indicated it would not be any time soon.

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Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Chair Menendez sharply criticized the White House, saying it “has not only stymied the number of refugees permitted entrance, it has prevented the State Dept from admitting vetted refugees currently waiting in the system.”

In a letter to Biden, Menendez called 15,000 “appallingly low.”

“As we face the largest global refugee crisis in history, with 29.6 million refugees worldwide, resettlement serves as a critical tool in providing protection to those fleeing persecution,” he wrote.