US drastically slashes refugee intake to 45,000
28 Sept 2017 8:21 PM IST
Washington: The US will curtail the number of refugees it will accept for resettlement to 45,000 next year, nearly half the figure for 2016, officials said today, triggering criticism from humanitarian groups and lawmakers.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will soon brief the Congress on this, a US government official told reporters during a conference call.
A presidential determination is expected to be issued in the coming days.
Officials said they plan to complete a review of security procedures for vetting new arrivals by next month, but arrivals next year will be reduced.
The regional breakdown will be: Africa, 19,000; East Asia, 5,000; Europe and Central Asia, 2,000; Latin America and the Caribbean, 1,500; Near East South Asia, 17,000.
"The security and safety of the American people is our chief concern," a government official said. In the 2016 fiscal year, the US accepted 84,995 refugees from around the world. This year it is on course to take in around 50,000.
The US is still the world's biggest destination for refugees, but arrivals are well down from a high of more than 200,000 in 1980.
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