Trump slashes US refugee admissions to record low

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration said the United States will admit a record low of no more than 15,000 refugees over the coming year despite surging global displacement, stepping up its hard line one month before elections.

The State Department announced the number just half an hour before the Oct 1 start of the 2021 fiscal year, narrowly meeting a deadline set by US law following criticism from lawmakers.

The 15,000 figure – the maximum who can be admitted over the next 12 months barring a change in administration – is a further cut from 18,000 last year and down dramatically from more than 100,000 under previous president Barack Obama.

Trump, who has campaigned on fierce denunciations of immigration, already suspended refugee admissions entirely for several months this year citing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Explaining the proposed new numbers, which need formal White House approval, the State Department said the United States wanted to help displaced people “as close to their homes as possible” until they can go back.

“By focusing on ending the conflicts that drive displacement in the first place, and by providing overseas humanitarian assistance to protect and assist displaced people, we can prevent the destabilising effects of such displacement on affected countries and their neighbours,” a statement said.

Refugee advocates had pleaded with the Trump administration to raise admissions in the face of global conflicts and fresh instability due to the pandemic.

Nearly 80 million people around the world are displaced, double the number a decade ago, according to the UN refugee agency.