U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to significantly reduce the cap on refugee admissions, lowering it from 125,000 to just 7,500 people for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1. This is reported by Bloomberg. This decision marks the lowest figure in the history of the resettlement program, the agency emphasizes.
According to the document published in the Federal Register, the new policy will be in effect "for humanitarian reasons or other reasons related to national interests." Priority in resettlement will be given to white South Africans, whom the U.S. administration considers victims of discrimination.
This decision represents another step by Trump to tighten immigration policy regarding both legal and illegal entry pathways. The refugee admission program, which has traditionally been supported by both parties, is facing criticism from Republicans, who label it a "vulnerable channel" through which criminals and terrorists could enter.
Additionally, the U.S. administration has transferred control of the refugee resettlement program from the State Department to the Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Human rights organizations are protesting against the reduction of the quota, claiming that it will lead to the cessation of admissions for already approved candidates.
As part of his immigration policy, Trump is also conducting deportations of migrants. He has imposed a travel ban on citizens from 12 countries and has introduced entry restrictions for seven other nations, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, and Yemen.
In response to immigration raids conducted by the police, residents of the U.S. have begun organizing protests. In June, the immigration service detained dozens of people in Los Angeles, prompting Trump to order the National Guard to the city.
Subsequently, unrest spread to other states. In October, protests against Trump's policy, organized by a group called No Kings, took place in all 50 states of the U.S.
