Trump bragged about his efforts to obstruct refugees at a campaign rally in Minnesota. (File)
Washington:
US President Donald Trump has reduced the number of refugee admissions to the United States to a record low of 15,000 as he fiercely denounces migrants from Somalia and other war-torn countries on the campaign trail.
The State Department announced the number just half an hour before the start of fiscal 2021 Thursday at midnight, narrowly meeting the deadline set by US law.
The figure of 15,000 – the maximum that can be allowed over the next 12 months barring a change of administration – is a further reduction from 18,000 last year and a dramatic drop from over 100,000 under the figure. former President Barack Obama.
Trump bragged about his efforts to obstruct refugees during a campaign rally Wednesday night in Minnesota.
“Overwhelming public resources, overcrowding of schools and flooding of your hospitals,” Trump said of the refugees. “It is a shame what they have done to your condition.”
Experts widely dispute that migrants strain public resources, pointing to the economic benefits of new arrivals.
Trump’s Democratic rival in the Nov. 3 election, Joe Biden, pledged to lower the refugee ceiling to 125,000, saying the reception of the persecuted was in line with American values.
“Biden will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp,” Trump said, describing the former vice president’s proposed overthrow of his cuts as a “700% increase” in the number of refugees in “the world‘s most dangerous places , including Yemen, Syria and your favorite country., Somalia. “
“This guy loves Somalia,” Trump said.
Trump led the crowd by booing Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee and outspoken critic of the president who represents Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis.
Trump kicked off his 2016 campaign on vows to keep Mexican and Muslim immigrants away and took to the heat after a debate Tuesday with Biden for equivocating the condemnation of white supremacists.
Strategy of “fear-alarmist”
Trump has already suspended refugee admissions entirely for several months this year, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Explaining the proposed new figures, which require formal approval from the White House, the State Department said the United States wanted to help the displaced “as close to their homes as possible” until they can return.
“By focusing on ending the conflicts that lead to displacement in the first place, and providing humanitarian assistance abroad to protect and assist displaced people, we can prevent the destabilizing effects of such displacement on affected countries and their communities. neighbors ”, indicates a press release.
Refugee advocates had pleaded with the Trump administration to increase admissions in the face of global conflicts and new instability due to the pandemic.
“The president’s action is disappointing but not surprising,” said Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International.
“This is part of a comprehensive refugee fear and vilification strategy,” said Schwartz, who was in charge of refugee policy under Obama.
Manar Waheed, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said Trump was trying to end immigration systems “and ensure that black and brown immigrants do not take refuge in our country.”
“No country is more generous”
Nearly 80 million people around the world are internally displaced, double the figure a decade ago, according to the UN refugee agency.
On September 8, fires ravaged a bustling camp trying to accommodate 20,000 people on the Greek island of Lesvos, a key entry point to the European Union.
And on Thursday, more than 3,000 migrants, mostly Hondurans, stormed into Guatemala hoping to reach the United States, the latest in a series of caravans denounced by Trump.
Asked about reducing refugee admissions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was “no country more generous” than the United States to provide humanitarian aid.
“We have welcomed more refugees to the United States than any other country over the past 20 years,” Pompeo told reporters in Rome Wednesday.
The United States has accepted more refugees for years than the rest of the world combined. But last year, Canada dominated the United States as a leader in resettling more than 30,000 refugees, according to UN data.
Democratic lawmakers earlier feared that the Trump administration would fail to comply with the requirement to provide a refugee number by October 1, making it impossible to admit people.
Syria remains the world‘s largest source of refugees after nearly a decade of brutal civil war. More than five million people have also fled Venezuela’s crumbling economy and political turmoil.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
