Trump plans to slash refugee admissions to US to record low

Trump administration has proposed furr slashing number of refugees United States accepts to a new record low in coming year. In a tice sent to Congress late Wednesday, just 34 minutes before a statutory deadline to do so, administration said it intended to admit a maximum of 15,000 refugees in fiscal year 2021.

That's 3,000 fewer than 18,000 ceiling administration had set for fiscal year 2020, which expired at midnight Wednesday. proposal will w be reviewed by Congress, where re are strong objections to cuts, but lawmakers will be largely powerless to force changes.

more than 16.5% reduction was anunced shortly after President Donald Trump vilified refugees as an unwanted burden at a campaign rally in Duluth, Minnesota, where he assailed his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden. He claimed Biden wants to flood state with foreigners.

“Biden will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp, and he said that — overwhelming public resources, overcrowding schools and inundating hospitals. You kw that. It's already re. It's a disgrace what y've done to your state,” Trump told supporters.

Trump froze refugee admissions in March amid coronavirus pandemic, citing a need to protect American jobs as fallout from coronavirus crashed ecomy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said administration is committed to country's history of leading world in providing a safe place for refugees.

“We continue to be single greatest contributor to relief of humanitarian crisis all around world, and we will continue to do so," Pompeo told reporters in Rome on sidelines of a conference on religious freedom organized by U.S. Embassy.

“Certainly so long as President Trump is in office, I can promise you this administration is deeply committed to that.”

But advocates say government's actions do t show that. Since taking office, Trump has slashed number of refugees allowed into country by more than 80%, reflecting his broader efforts to drastically reduce both legal and illegal immigration. US allowed in just over 10,800 refugees, a little more than half of 18,000 cap set by Trump for 2020, before State Department suspended program because of coronavirus.

18,000 cap was already lowest in history of program. In addition, State Department anunced last week that it would longer provide some statistical information on refugee resettlement, sparking more concerns. Advocates say Trump administration is dismantling a program that has long enjoyed bipartisan support and has been considered a model for protecting world's most vulnerable people.

Scores of resettlement offices have closed because of drop in federal funding, which is tied to number of refugees placed in U.S. And dam is reverberating beyond American borders as or countries close ir doors to refugees as well.

“We're talking about tens of millions of desperate families with place to go and having hope for protection in near term,” said Krish Vignarajah, president of Luran Immigration and Refugee Service, a federally funded ncy charged with resettling refugees in United States.

Bisrat Sibhatu, an Eritrean refugee, does t want to think about possibility of ar year passing without reuniting with his wife. For past 2 1/2 years, he has called caseworker who helped him resettle in Milwaukee every two weeks to inquire about status of his wife's refugee case. answer is always same thing to report. “My wife is always asking me: 'Is re news?'" said Sibhatu, who talks to her daily over a messaging app.

“It's very tough. How would you feel if you were separated from your husband? It's t easy. I don't kw what to say to her."

He said couple fled Eritrea's authoritarian government and went to neighboring Ethiopia, which hosts more than 170,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers. Between 2017 and 2019, his wife, Ruta, was interviewed, vetted and approved to be admitted to United States as a refugee. n everything came to a halt. Sibhatu, who works as a machine operator at a spa factory, sends her about $500 every month to cover her living expenses in Ethiopia.

“I worry about her, about her life," Sibhatu said, ting Ethiopia's spiraling violence and pandemic. “But re is thing we can do." He hopes his wife will be among refugees who make it to United States in 2021.

(Im Credits: AP)

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