US Slashes Number Of Refugees To 30,000 For Next Year
WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS/AP) -- 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 U.S. will admit during the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The actual number allowed could be lower. The U.S. 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 U.S. That approach has already driven down refugee admissions to their lowest level in a decade.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, the Iran nuclear agreement, and the U.N. Educational and Cultural agency (UNESCO) and refused to sign the Global Compact on Migration.
The Trump administration has made cutbacks in voluntary funding for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) and limited some peacekeeping funds.
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton recently sought to undermine the functioning of the International Criminal Court. Mr. Trump may receive a distinctly less-warm welcome at the world body this year.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)