US to slash number of refugees it will accept

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will slash the number of refugees it will accept for a second straight year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, insisting amid criticism from human rights groups that the country is still committed to providing sanctuary to people fleeing the world’s danger zones.

Up to 30,000 refugees will be allowed into the country next year, down from a cap of 45,000 this year. It will be the lowest ceiling on admissions since the program began in 1980. The announcement Monday came despite calls from global humanitarian groups that this year’s cap of 45,000 was too low.

Pompeo sought to head off potential criticism of the reduction by noting that the US would process more than 280,000 asylum claims in addition to more than 800,000 already inside the country who are awaiting a resolution of their claims.

“These expansive figures continue the United States’ long-standing record as the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration and assistance,” he said.

The 30,000 cap is the maximum number of refugees the US will admit during the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The actual number allowed in could be lower. So far this year, the US has only admitted 20,918 refugees for the fiscal year set to end in two weeks, according to State De- partment records.

US former president Barack Obama raised the ceiling to 110,000 in 2017, but the pace slowed dramatically after US President Donald Trump took office and issued an executive order addressing refugees. In 2016, the last full year of the Obama administration, the US welcomed nearly 85,000 refugees.

Pompeo said the lower ceiling reflected commitment to aiding families forced to flee their homes by war, persecution or natural disasters while “prioritizing the safety and well-being of the American people.”