WASHINGTON – In response to mounting pressure from individuals fleeing Afghanistan and other countries, the Biden administration announced Monday that it will double the number of refugees it will admit in the coming fiscal year to 125,000.

President Joe Biden has overturned President Donald Trump’s policy of limiting the number of migrants allowed each year to a few thousand.

Trump set a 15,000 admissions cap for the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30, but admitted significantly fewer than that.

After assuming office, Biden overrode that amount, bringing it back up to 62,500.

The figure will climb to 125,000 in fiscal 2022.

“Today, the State Department reaffirms our commitment to refugee resettlement, building on our long history of offering a safe haven and opportunity to those fleeing persecution,” said spokeswoman Ned Price.

“With the globe confronting unprecedented global displacement and humanitarian needs,” Price said in a statement, “The United States is dedicated to leading efforts to offer protection and support long-term solutions to humanitarian crises.”

The statement came as the US government is attempting to assist thousands of Afghans who served for US military in Afghanistan in fleeing the nation and resettling in the US.