WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2019) The Trump administration is proposing resettling 18,000 refugees in the United States in fiscal year (FY) 2020, the US State Department said in a press release.
"The United States anticipates receiving more than 368,000 new refugees and asylum claims in FY 2020," the release said on Thursday. "Of them, 18,000 would be refugees we propose to resettle under the new refugee ceiling."
A senior US administration official said during a conference call on Thursday the total number of refugees being resettled includes 5,000 fleeing religious persecution, 4,000 Iraqis who have helped the United States, and 1,500 people from the Northern Triangle countries which includes El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The Trump administration will need to consult with Congress before they are able to resettle these refugees in their proposed jurisdictions in the United States, the official said.
The 18,000 refugee ceiling for FY 2020 is the lowest since the establishment of the resettlement program in 1980.
