US hits refugee cap set by Trump
But recent court ruling could allow more to enter
USA TODAY
The United States is set to reach a contentious milestone this week when it accepts its 50,000th refugee for the fiscal year, hitting a ceiling set by President Donald Trump in his quest to sharply curtail immigration.
The 50,000 figure is 41 percent lower than the 85,000 refugees accepted during President Barack Obama’s final year in office, and would be the lowest total in a decade.
The White House said the reduction is necessary to give intelligence agencies time to review vetting procedures used to screen refugees to ensure terrorists don’t infiltrate the U.S. Refugee groups counter that it is “morally wrong” for America to turn its back on those escaping war and other horrors when the world is facing its greatest migrant crisis.
Hans Van de Weerd, chairman of the Refugee Council USA, which coordinates refugee arrivals in the U.S., said it’s more important than ever for the U.S. to perform its historic role as a beacon for those fleeing persecution and violence.
The door for refugees will remain partly open, however, because of the June 26 ruling by the Supreme Court that allowed a portion of Trump’s travel ban to take effect.
Federal judges blocked two versions of Trump’s travel ban that placed a 90-day moratorium on travel from six majorityMuslim countries and a 120day ban on the entire refugee program. The judges also prevented the administration from lowering the refugee cap to 50,000 from the 110,000 for the year ending Sept. 30 that Obama set before leaving office.
The Supreme Court allowed all of those restrictions to go into effect, but ordered the administration to continue accepting visa applicants and refugees who have a “bona fide” relationship to a U.S. person or entity.