Trump reduces the number of refugee admissions

US refugee resettlement system collapses

Indeed, "cap" is somewhat misleading: administrations have generally considered the number as a goal and have actively tried to reach it. This exercise has been different in this regard. While the Trump administration set the ceiling of 2018 at 45,000, only about 20,000 refugees were admitted by August 31, one month before the end of the fiscal year in October. Changes and slowdowns in the validation process would be the cause of the low number of admissions. If this continues, and there is little expectation that this will not happen, the administration could be in the process of admitting far fewer refugees than its new ceiling of 30,000, raising concern at the highest level of refugee resettlement agencies.

"This repeated reduction in the number of refugees admitted to the United States is incredibly disturbing," World Relief CEO Tim Breene said in a statement. "Not only is this a series of unprecedented attacks against our American values ​​and the humanitarian nature of the refugee resettlement program, but it is far from helping the many [of] Vulnerable people around the world.

Melanie Nezer, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the HIAS Resettlement Agency, said, "This is a totally inappropriate and shameful number given the number of refugees in the world and the historic leadership of the United States. United in the resettlement of refugees ". As I pointed out earlier this month, organizations like hers have had to compensate for the small number by removing employees and closing offices, which would make resettlement difficult if future administrations raised the ceiling.

Since the adoption of the Refugees Act 1980, the United States has admitted for the last time fewer than 30,000 refugees after the September 11 attacks, according to data from the Refugee Processing Center. The refugee ceiling, which is determined annually, has fluctuated over time in response to world events, but has always been relatively high. From 1990 to 1995, for example, the United States admitted an average of about 112,000 refugees, many of them from the former Soviet Union, according to the Pew Research Center. While the United States did not admit more than 100,000 refugees per year, figures have generally increased year after year.

Canada may soon overtake US in refugee admissions

The Trump administration's decision to reduce the number of refugee admissions may not be a surprise given its commitment to crack down on immigration, but it is targeting a population largely supported by supporters. The administration tried to dissuade immigrants from settling illegally in the United States and to restrict the flow of immigrants through legal channels. What is unique in this situation is the success of the country's humanitarian efforts.

Pompeo argued on Monday that the "proposed refugee ceiling should be seen in the context of the many other forms of protection and assistance offered by the United States". He added: "The number of refugees should not be considered separately. "Still, a cap of 30,000 refugees is a radical change for the United States – from a country historically receptive to refugees to a country apparently determined to eliminate them.