Trump proposes to cut refugee cap to 45,000
The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed admitting a maximum of 45,000 refugees next year, the lowest cap in decades, which officials said was necessary to ensure US security, although Democrats and humanitarian groups blasted the decision as an abandonment of American moral authority.
That figure is the lowest cap since the modern US refugee admissions system was established in 1980, and the administration's decision was harshly criticized by refugee advocates who say it ignores growing humanitarian crises around the world. The report also projects slashing funding to the refugee resettlement program by 25 percent.
"The security and safety of the American people is our chief concern," a US official said in a call with reporters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We have every plan to process as many refugees as we can under this ceiling."
A second US official said the administration is considering a "wide range of potential measures and enhancements" to refugee vetting, in accordance with a January executive order from President Donald Trump.
The lower refugee cap is a continuation of Trump's hardline stance on immigration. He made the issue a focus during the presidential campaign, advocating for a wall along the US border with Mexico and the deportation of immigrants in the country illegally, and saying that Syrian refugees fleeing their country's civil war present a security threat to the United States.
The proposed refugee limit represents a cut of more than half from the refugee ceiling set last year by former President Barack Obama, and is much lower than the 75,000 limit suggested by refugee advocates this year.
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