Trump pulls US out of UN refugee and migrant agreement
Under the Trump administration the US has withdrawn from several global commitments
The US government has pulled out of a United Nations pact on migrants and refugees, which it said ran counter to its policies.
The White House announced on Saturday that it would no longer be a party to the Global Compact on Migration.
In September last year, the UN general assembly unanimously adopted a non-binding declaration, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, pledging to uphold the rights of refugees, help them to resettle and ensure that they have access to education and jobs.
“The New York Declaration contains provisions that are inconsistent with US immigration and refugee policies, and the Trump administration’s immigration principles,” the government said.
“As a result, president Trump determined that the US would end its participation in the compact process that aims to reach international consensus at the UN in 2018.”
US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the country would continue its generosity in supporting migrants and refugees around the world, but that “our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone”.
“We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country,” Ms Haley said.
“The global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with US sovereignty.”
Under the Trump government and its “America First” policies, the US has withdrawn from several global commitments made under president Barack Obama, including the Paris climate deal.
More recently, Americans pulled out of the United Nations’ culture and education body, Unesco, accusing it of “anti-Israel bias”.