Refugee level criticised

Los Angeles: President Donald Trump’s administration has announced plans to let only 15,000 refugees resettle in the United States in the 2021 fiscal year, setting another record low in the history of the modern refugee programme.

The US State Department said the ceiling reflected the administration’s prioritising of the ‘‘safety and wellbeing of Americans’’.

Critics have said the US under Trump has abandoned its role as a safe haven for persecuted people.