Jason Hopkins on September 27, 2019
President Donald Trump is proposing to slash the refugee ceiling next year to its lowest level since the refugee resettlement program began nearly 40 years ago.
The Trump administration proposed Thursday to set the fiscal year 2020 cap on refugees to 18,000, according to a conference call with senior administration officials. The administration says it’s retooling its refugee program to prioritize those who face religious persecution and those who have helped U.S. national security and also address the current southern border crisis.
“This proposed refugee ceiling takes into account the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis on our southern border and the massive asylum backlog,” a senior administration official said Thursday.
The 18,000 refugees to be admitted in fiscal year 2020, which officially begins on Oct. 1, would be broken down into several categories.
There would be 5,000 slots exclusively available to those facing religious persecution. Another 4,000 Iraqis would be allowed to enter the U.S. as refugees, highlighting the administration’s priority of foreign nationals who have assisted U.S. national security. There would be another 1,500 available for Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduran nationals. Lastly, the administration carved out another 7,500 slots for those who don’t necessarily fit in any of the above categories but would otherwise qualify for refugee status.
The proposed refugee cap demonstrates the downward trajectory seen during the Trump era.
The number, if approved, would be a decrease from the 23,000 refugees accepted in fiscal year 2018 and a significant drop from the 33,000 accepted in 2017, according to Pew Research Center. The U.S. became the second highest destination for the world’s refugees in 2019, falling from the number one position for the first time in nearly 40 years.
The administration, however, argues that it remains focused on national security, and its assistance of displaced populations extends well beyond its immigration system.
“The number of individuals forcibly displaced worldwide is far more than can be resettled or granted asylum in the United States or other countries each year. So that’s why our support for refugees and other displaced people extends well beyond our immigration system,” an administration official said.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acting Director Ken Cuccinelli reiterated to reporters Friday that the U.S. government provides more help to foreign nationals than any other country.
“America is still, as it has been for some time, the No. 1 country in the world for aiding, providing humanitarian aid all around the world,” Cuccinelli said Friday. “I have every reason to expect that to continue, including with 18,000 person cap.”
The administration is overhauling the system entirely beyond the refugee numbers.
Trump issued an executive order Thursday that gives states and local jurisdictions the option to consent before accepting refugees into their communities. Placing refugees in areas where they can be supported, the administration says, will help them better succeed and integrate into American society.
The main issue regarding the over abundance of immigrants that have entered this country both legally and illegally is not political in the least! if the rate of immigrant entry is not significantly reduced for a few years our natural resources will not have a chance to recoup! if they can not recoup we can not help anyone including those already living here! Nature must be allowed to catch up with increased population or it will be the American people becoming refugees from a country gone barron of its natural resources!
This is a no brainer we must preserve our ability to produce the necessities of life for those currently living in the country then anticipate the numbers we can take in based on the rate in which we have the replenishment of food, water, clean air, jobs, housing, etc. If we do not take care of ourselves first we will not be in a position to help anyone else!
The further our resources are depleted instead of replenished the longer it will take for them to recover to a place of adequate sustainability for those that rely on them!
If you need proof ask any farmer or rancher what happens when they have no product in reserve to grow from. Ask what happens when they must start from nothing and try to rebuild something to a place of profit! Ask them about the results of not having enough water to grow produce or hydrate livestock!
Our economy has finally reached a point of recovering from too many years of loss. the loss of any resource will cripple us!
Slash the number of refugees to ZERO………..we’ve enough human trash in the USA as it is
This is a good thing! We have had too many coming in, too many taking from the welfare system that’s supposed to help Americans in need and we can’t even help our own. Asylum is one thing, but coming here to take advantage of our good will and sending the money back to their own country is another. Our country has been enduring brutal attacks on our citizens, rape, murder, beatings…Obama wouldn’t let the Christians from Iraq in, remember? Instead, he gave us all the trouble-makers from Somalia, the MS-13 gangs and so on. Time to take control. Well done Mr. President.
All they want is power and money for themselves. They want to be the only rich people, and I can pretty much guarantee you the people will starve. Watch a great video by Kitty Werthmann, she was young in Austria when the German’s took over. She tells the whole story. Like them going around and picking up young people that had problems, like the didn’t know how to read and write. they took them to camp to teach them, but never told their families. Within 6 mos. they all had been euthanized. Email http://www.kittywerthmann.com
180 would be better.
Migrant, immigrant, asylum seekers, “Dreamers” and refugees. These cuts are what happens when a political party does not distinguish one from another, determines anyone who wants more money or wealth is a “refugee” and when they could have helped all religious minorities gave almost all of the slots to Muslims disproportionately. Thanks Obama.
We should not be taking anyone anymore …till the US has its own homeless population/drugs/prisons/welfare taken care of…
Still too many because of all the illegals that make it in, still. Mexico really doesn’t seem to be doing much.
He needs to go through the ones that got in and purge out the one with criminal pass’s and remove them !
At last, A PRESIDENT OF, BY, AND FOR AMERICA.
The Lib’s will KILL the US,and not bat an EYE. TRUMP 2020.
The US is overly accepting. It won’t hurt to set it back a few notches. Just as President Trump said, we need to put America first! Our tax dollars are paid, for the most part, by US citizens and therefore should be used to hep US citizens first and foremost. We need to clean up our own backyard before spending that money trying to save the world! TRUMP 2020 Keep America Great