US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press conference at the State Department in Washington on September 14, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images DOSSIER ORIG ID: AFP_19412L(Photo: AFP / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON – Trump administration will severely limit the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States next year – allowing more than 30,000 people fleeing war, violence and persecution around the world to settle in America.

This is down from last year's cap of 45,000 refugees, which was already the lowest since Congress passed the 1980 Refugee Act. At two weeks of fiscal year 2018, the administration admitted 20,918 refugees.

In making the announcement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would "also" process 280,000 asylum seekers trying to enter the United States. He did not say that many asylum seekers would be accepted, A showdown to claim asylum showed "the commitment of the administration to vulnerable people around the world".

"These expansionary numbers maintain the long-standing record of the United States as the most generous country in the world for protection-based immigration and assistance," said Pompeo.

The fall immediately provoked a reprimand from human rights organizations, who called on the administration to maintain the reputation of the oppressed peoples in the world, especially as European countries are overwhelmed by the one of the largest migrations of displaced persons. .

Amnesty International has described the conflict as a "general attack" against refugees from around the world. The International Rescue Committee has stated that the administration is renouncing commitments to allies and vulnerable populations. "And Human Rights First called it" a shameful abdication of our humanity ".

"Our country was founded on the backs of refugees and our country has been enriched by these courageous people who come here to rebuild their lives safely," said Jennifer Quigley of Human Rights First. "By setting the lowest refugee ceiling in history, we have turned our backs not only to those who live in harsh conditions abroad, but to our own American ideals."

Before Trump took office, the United States led the world in accepting refugees for decades, resettling more than 3 million people since 1980, according to at the Pew Research Center.

Pompeo argued that the new ceiling of refugees was not an abandonment of this role.

"Some will call the refugee ceiling the only barometer of the US commitment to vulnerable people around the world. That would be wrong, "Trump's chief diplomat told reporters at the State Department. "The proposed refugee ceiling for this year must be seen in the context of the many other forms of protection and assistance offered by the United States."

Pompeo said the United States had provided more than $ 8 billion in humanitarian aid globally in fiscal 2017, "more than any other country."

Pompeo has also thrown the refugee ceiling below that of US national security. He said the US asylum system was already outdated, with more than 800,000 pending cases to be tried.

"Given the interests of US national security and the urgent need to restore the integrity of our overburdened asylum system, the United States will focus on addressing the humanitarian protection cases of those already in the country. Said Pompeo.

Refugees and asylum seekers must demonstrate that they have been persecuted in their home country or are justifiably afraid of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, belonging to a country or territory. particular social group or political opinion.

Refugees make their claims from abroad, while asylum seekers make their claims once they reach the United States.

President Donald Trump has made repression against illegal immigration a central theme of his presidential campaign. But Monday's reduction of refugee admissions represents its last step in the fight against legal immigration.

One of his first steps as president was to institute a controversial travel ban that included a temporary halt to the refugee program. Now he has reduced the annual ceiling of refugees from 110,000 in the last year of President Barack Obama's term to 45,000, and now to 30,000 with Monday's announcement.

And while Pompeo has designated refugee claims as evidence that the United States remains a "generous" nation, he did not mention the innumerable measures taken by the administration to reduce this possibility.

In June, Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled tough new restrictions on refugee claimants, saying victims of domestic violence and even gang violence would no longer be eligible for such protection.

The following month, Sessions released another set of guidelines allowing immigration officers to use the illegal entry of asylum seekers in the United States as a strike against their application for damages. # 39; asylum. US law and UN agreements specify that illegal entry should not be taken into account because they are fleeing persecution and deserve to be heard.

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