Donald Trump Administration Slashes Number Of Refugees Allowed Into US

The Donald Trump led administration is planning to put a cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States next year to 30,000. The announcement was made on Monday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Notably, Trump had previously set a 45,000-refugee limit for 2018 and 50,000 the year before. The refugee cap is the lowest since the aftermath of 9/11 when the US allowed entry of only 27,131 refugees in 2002.

According to the New York Times, the 2019 refugee limit represents the lowest ceiling placed by a U.S. president on the refugee program since its creation in 1980.

Pompeo said that the refugee limit number should not be considered as the sole barometer of the US’ commitment to humanitarian efforts around the world. He added that the country would also focus on the humanitarian protection cases of those already in the country. He cited the number of asylum applications expected next year, saying the US will process up to 280,000 such applications in 2019.

Pompeo said that the main objective behind cutting down the refugee number is to provide the best possible care and safety to the people who are already taking shelter in the country.

“We are and continue to be the most generous nation in the world,” he added.

The move is the latest in a series of efforts that the President has undertaken to clamp down on immigration to the United States. Last month, the Trump administration has made a number of changes to the country’s H1B visa policies as they believe that some IT companies misuse H1B visa to hire foreign workers at the cost of American workers.

The government has reportedly reduced the number of H1B visas issued, increased the premium processing fee and extended the suspension of premium processing of these visas.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ workers from foreign countries for a job that require theoretical or technical expertise.