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Trump Administration announced Thursday that it plans to significantly decrease the amount of refugees the U.S. accepts in the 2020 fiscal year

According to the United States Department of State, the Trump Administration announced Thursday that it plans to decrease the amount of refugees the U.S. accepts in 2020 to 18,000, 12,000 less than 2019’s 30,000 refugee cap. This sharp reduction in accepted refugees represents a continued push by the Trump administration to stay true to a campaign pledge and significantly decrease immigration to the United States. The decline in refugee admissions also comes amid what the United Nations claims is the “largest displacement of people across the globe in modern history,” (Los Angeles Times, 2019), and the highest worldwide refugee levels since the conclusion of World War II (FACTANK, 2019). ~

Refugee admissions have notably decreased since President Trump assumed the Presidency in 2016. According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. refugee resettlement program sets a maximum number of refugees who are permitted to enter the country each fiscal year (Oct. 1 – Sep. 30), established by the President in the preceding fall. In the 2016 fiscal year, President Trump set a refugee maximum of 85,000 refugees and went on to admit nearly that amount. 53,700 refugees settled in 2017, and in 2018, Trump’s first full fiscal year in office, a refugee cap of 45,000 was set and around 22,500 were admitted. The current fiscal year had an established ceiling of 30,000 acceptances, and had around 28,100 acceptances as of August 31. To put the refugee reduction in perspective, the U.S. has admitted around 74,200 refugees under the Trump administration, while over 85,000 refugees were admitted in Obama’s final full fiscal year in 2016 alone. ~

According to the LA Times, the reduction is in part an effort by the Trump Administration to clean up the immigration system before beginning to accept larger numbers of refugees. The State Department commented on the administration’s actions Thursday, stating that “At the core of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy is a commitment to make decisions based on reality, not wishes,” and added that “The current burdens on the U.S. immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle large numbers of refugees.” ~

This is Fact Based America – WE have the FACTS. YOU have the OPINIONS. What are your thoughts on the continued reduction in accepted refugees to the United States?

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