Zoom out: As of 2020, 97,744 Palestinians were living in the U.S. It’s unclear how many of them have immediate family in Gaza.

Back up: Historically, the U.S. has not accepted many refugees from Gaza because it complicates our close partnership with Israel. Over the last decade, the U.S. has resettled less than 600 refugees from Palestine.

Ideological concerns: According to a recent poll, 71 percent of Palestinians supported Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that saw brutal murders and rape of innocent civilians. This poses the obvious challenge of vetting who is allowed in.Playing politics: For Biden, this move is all about stopping the bleeding. He’s trying to win back Arab American and young Democrat voters who are dissatisfied with his support for Israel.