The Trump administration's decision to limit refugees admitted next year to 30,000 violates a core American value of providing a safe haven for immigrants fleeing persecution elsewhere in the world, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) said in a press release on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2018) The Trump administration's decision to limit refugees admitted next year to 30,000 violates a core American value of providing a safe haven for immigrants fleeing persecution elsewhere in the world, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) said in a press release on Tuesday.
"The severe diminution of the US refugee program is at odds with core American values, let alone policy that for decades has established our country as an exemplar for welcoming those refugees fleeing documented persecution and fearing for their lives," AJC Chief Executive Officer David Harris said. "At a time when the number of refugees is increasing around the world, this Administration decision is especially regrettable."
The release noted that the 2019 cap represents a one-third cut from the present year allocation of 45,000.
Moreover, the release explained that just 20,000 refugees had been admitted by the end of August, with just one month remaining in fiscal year 2018, which ends on September 30.
The latest restrictions, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, have been widely condemned by human rights groups as the fewest number of refugees since 1980, when the United States admitted more than 200,000.
