The Trump administration is considering effectively shutting down the country’s refugee resettlement program, according to a report, a scheme which has brought more than 3.5 million foreign nationals to the United States since 1980.
According to three sources who spoke to Politico, federal immigration officials at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have suggested that the annual refugee cap be set anywhere between zero or 3,000 to 10,000.
Politico‘s Ted Hesson reported:
The Trump administration is considering a virtual shutdown of refugee admissions next year — cutting the number to nearly zero — according to three people familiar with the plan. [Emphasis added]
During a key meeting of security officials on refugee admissions last week, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services representative who is closely aligned with White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller suggested setting a cap at zero, the people said. Homeland Security Department officials at the meeting later floated making the level anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000, according to one of the people. [Emphasis added]
The halt to refugees being admitted to the U.S. would be a pause after nearly four decades of the country admitting thousands of foreign nationals through the resettlement program. – READ MORE