WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is considering a further reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the United States as the administration works to re-shape American immigrationpolicy, officials say.
Trump has already slashed refugee admissions once since taking office. Now he faces a decision on how many to admit in the next budget year.
As is often the case with the Trump administration, Cabinet officials are divided as they weigh the costs and potential security risks associated with the programme.
The Department of Homeland Security has been pushing for a reduction beyond the 50,000 maximum-entry mark set by Trump earlier this year as part of his travel ban executive orders, a number that is already the lowest in modern American history.
In a proposal submitted late last week, the department called for a reduction to 40,000 refugees in the next budget year starting October 1, citing concerns about its workload and ability to adequately vet those seeking entry.
The State Department, which oversees the program, has formally recommended that the number be kept at 50,000, according to Trump administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations. Agencies had been given until the close of business yesterday to submit formal recommendations for consideration. Trump has until October 1 to determine how many refugees to admit under the Refugee Act of 1980.