The U.S. took in 100,000 refugees over the last year, the highest figure in three decades, as President Biden worked to rebuild a system largely dismantled by his predecessor.

Immigrant rights groups hailed the milestone but said the U.S. can do even better this upcoming year, and Mr. Biden signaled that he agreed.

He set a cap of up to 125,000 refugees for the fiscal year 2025, which began Tuesday.

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“Refugee resettlement exemplifies the generosity that has always been at the core of the American spirit and reflects the critical role of the United States as a global leader in providing refuge to people fleeing persecution overseas,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

This upcoming year is the fourth time Mr. Biden has set the 125,000 refugee cap. When he started, it was unthinkable the U.S. would come close to it, given what advocates said was a hollowing out of the refugee system under former President Donald Trump.

The U.S. went from nearly 85,000 refugees in 2016 under President Obama to fewer than 12,000 in 2020 under Mr. Trump and amid the pandemic. Fiscal year 2021, split between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, was also below 12,000, but Mr. Biden has been building since then, reaching roughly 60,000 in 2023.

Fiscal year 2024 ended Monday and exact numbers have yet to be released, but it will be at least a 67% increase over 2023.

“Resettling nearly 100,000 refugees, a figure equivalent to the three previous fiscal years combined, represents a milestone achievement signaling renewed U.S. humanitarian leadership,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refugee.

Based on data through the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo sent the most refugees with about 21% of the total. Afghanistan was second with about 15%, followed by Syria at 12% and Venezuela at 11%.

Four years ago, in 2020, Congo was still on top, but Burma and Ukraine rounded out the top three and Afghanistan and Iraq were fourth and fifth, with each only accounting for about 5% of the already small total.

Refugees are supposed to be fleeing persecution in their home countries which is so bad they risk torture or death if they were forced to return.

Refugees apply for protection while outside the U.S. and are among the most heavily vetted new arrivals to the U.S.

Asylum seekers are similar in terms of seeking protection, but they are already on U.S. soil.

Nayla Rush, a senior researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the Biden administration revamped the refugee system to speed people in faster, helping set the new three-decade high.

She said an even bigger change is how refugees are selected. In the past, a U.N. agency was responsible for referring most refugee candidates to the U.S., but Ms. Rush said the Biden administration now allows private sponsors in the U.S. to refer potential refugees.

The result, she said, is that undeserving people are being brought in.

“Resettlement is supposed to be a life-saving tool,” Ms. Rush said. “We are not selecting the most vulnerable.”

Under federal law, the president sets a cap for the maximum number of refugees that can be welcomed in any year. There is no cap on asylum claims, though the system can only handle a certain throughput of both refugees and asylum seekers.

Mr. Biden has set the 125,000 all four of his years in office.

Immigration advocates had urged Mr. Biden to go even bigger this year. The Refugee Council USA had asked for a cap of at least 135,000 refugees along with more taxpayer funding for resettlement.