Refugees moving to US

ABOUT 50 refugees on Nauru and Manus Island will move to the US within weeks, the first wave of a resettlement program which Donald Trump had branded “the worst deal ever”.

Malcolm Turnbull yesterday thanked US President Donald Trump for sticking with the agreement — which was negotiated with Barack Obama — and said he expected more people would be accepted by US authorities soon.

“It is entirely up to the United States as to how many are taken,” Mr Turnbull said.

“It’s all subject to the United States’ very, very thorough vetting, their extreme vetting.

“But we look forward to more refugees, people who have been judged to be refugees on Nauru and Manus, to be taken to the United States.”

About 25 people from each island have so far been accepted and will be told in the coming days that they are moving.

Mr Trump had blasted the agreement as “ridiculous”, “stupid” and “rotten” in his first call with Mr Turnbull in January, according to a transcript which was sensationally leaked last month.

He also told the Prime Minister that his immigration policies were “worse” than his own hard line approach.

Mr Turnbull tried to reassure the President and said it was “a big deal” for Australia.

“It is really, really important to us that we maintain it,” he said.