US slashes number of refugees to 30,000 for next year

WASHINGTON  — The Trump administration is cutting the number of refugees allowed into the United States next year to 30,000.

The announcement comes despite calls from global humanitarian groups that this year's cap of 45,000 was too low.

The 30,000 ceiling announced Monday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the maximum the US will admit during the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The actual number allowed could be lower. The US welcomed nearly 85,000 refugees in the final year of the Obama administration.

The lower admittance numbers reflect the Trump administration's opposition to accepting refugees and other immigrants into the US That approach has already driven down refugee admissions to their lowest level in a decade.

AP