New Draconian Reduction of Refugee Reception in the United States | World | News | The sun

ATDuring the 2020 budget year, which begins on October 1, the program is expected to reach 18,000 refugees against 30,000 this year and nearly 85,000 in 2016, the US State Department said in a statement.

This is a new record low: since this resettlement program was created in 1980, the annual average exceeds 95,000 relocations.

This quota must now be discussed with Congress before being, except huge surprise, confirmed by Donald Trump, whose fight against immigration remains one of the main battleground one year of the presidential election.

"The president will always give priority to the well-being of American citizens," the White House said.

According to the State Department, "the weight of the current US immigration system must be eased before the United States can resettle large numbers of refugees again."

This policy concerns refugees selected by US security and intelligence agencies in UN camps around the world for resettlement in the United States, mostly among the most vulnerable such as the elderly, widows and the disabled.

"A very sad day"

"Our refugee quota must also take into account our national security and foreign policy interests," added US diplomacy.

"In recent years, law enforcement has apprehended terrorists believed to have gone through our refugee program," she said.

"In addition, in order to serve the interests of US foreign policy, the refugee resettlement proposal" for fiscal year 2020 "provides for specific quotas for those persecuted for their religious faith", up to 5,000 refugees, "for Iraqis endangered because of their assistance to the United States" (4000), "and legitimate refugees from the countries of the North Triangle" which includes El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras (1500).

Resettlement programs differ from traditional asylum applications at US borders, and Washington calls for a comprehensive analysis of its policies.

"The United States has always been and will continue to be the most generous nation in the world when it comes to welcoming those in need of humanitarian protection," said Acting Home Security Minister Kevin McAleenan in a statement.

The government emphasizes that it plans to receive 350,000 new asylum applications in 2020. But only a small proportion of these people are ultimately granted refugee status.

"It's a very sad day for America," said the chairman of the non-governmental organization International Rescue Committee David Miliband. "It's another blow to US leadership in protecting the world's most vulnerable people," he said, citing a "baseless and unnecessary decision that undermines America's interests and tarnishes her values ​​".

Refugees International also denounced a "sad report for the American leadership".

"I am currently in Colombia where some 5,000 Venezuelans seek refuge every day," said the president of the humanitarian organization, Eric Schwartz, in a statement. "What President Trump says it's hard to do for the United States, which is to welcome 18,000 people in one year, Colombia does it every four days. "