US drastically slashes refugee intake to 45K

Washington, September 28 

The US will curtail the number of refugees it will accept for resettlement to 45,000 next year, nearly half the figure for 2016, officials said today, triggering criticism from humanitarian groups and lawmakers. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will soon brief the Congress on this, a US government official told reporters during a conference call. A presidential determination is expected to be issued in the coming days.

Officials said they plan to complete a review of security procedures for vetting new arrivals by next month, but arrivals next year will be reduced. The regional breakdown will be: Africa, 19,000; East Asia, 5,000; Europe and Central Asia, 2,000; Latin America and the Caribbean, 1,500; Near East South Asia, 17,000.

“The security and safety of the American people is our chief concern,” a government official said. In the 2016 fiscal year, the US accepted 84,995 refugees from around the world. This year it is on course to take in around 50,000. The US is still the world’s biggest destination for refugees, but arrivals are well down from a high of more than 200,000 in 1980. Since 1975, the US has welcomed more than 3 million refugees from all over the world.

“While maintaining the US’ leadership role in humanitarian protection, an integral part of this mission is to ensure that refugee resettlement opportunities only go to those who are eligible for such protection and who are not known to present a risk to the safety and security of our country,” the official said.

The official noted that the refugee resettlement is only one part of the US’ response to the crisis of forced displacement around the world. “The US also remains the world’s leading donor of humanitarian assistance, providing over $7 billion in humanitarian assistance around the world last year,” the official said.

In 2017, the US has provided more than $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance for the Syria crisis, and more than $581 million for the Iraq crisis.

“We have provided nearly $2.5 billion for people from countries facing famine. And we have provided nearly $95 million for displaced persons in Burma and the region,” the official added. The move drew sharp reaction from lawmakers and human rights activists.  — PTI