A total of 22,491 refugees were admitted by the U.S. in the last fiscal year, marking the lowest number recorded.
Fiscal year 2018 ended September 30, and according to data, the admissions count was less than half of the refugees admitted in 2017 (53,716) or one-quarter of the number in 2016 (84,994).
A spokesperson of the State Department claimed that the low numbers were “consistent with the operational capacity to implement new screening and vetting procedures following Executive Order 13780, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.”
The so-called “travel ban,” an executive order issued by sitting President Donald Trump in March 2017, was approved by the Supreme Court and it went into partial effect in June 2017. Refugees from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen were banned to enter the United States for 90 days if they do not prove a “bona fide relationship with any person or entity in the United States.”
The State Department spokesperson noted that “the U.S. government identified additional screening and vetting procedures to enable departments and agencies to more thoroughly review refugee applicants to identify potential threats to public safety and national security.”
“The security checks take time, but they’re critical,” they added.
According to the numbers released Tuesday, the U.S. admitted less than 500 refugees overall from all six of the nations restricted by the executive order. The majority of refugees admitted were from the Democratic Republic of Congo (7,878), Burma (3,555), Ukraine (2,635), and Bhutan (2,228).
The 22,491 refugees admitted to the country in the fiscal year 2018 falls well below the Trump administration’s cap for the year of 45,000. The administration proposed to lower this cap for FY 2019 by 33% to 30,000.
According to State Secretary Mike Pompeo, these figures are not to be viewed as “the sole barometer” of the U.S.’ efforts for global humanitarian aid. Pompeo added that the U.S. would “focus on the humanitarian protection cases of those already in the country.”
The proposal was lambasted by humanitarian organizations.
“The United States is not only abdicating humanitarian leadership and responsibility-sharing in response to the worst global displacement and refugee crisis since World War II, but compromising critical strategic interests and reneging on commitments to allies and vulnerable populations,” the International Rescue Committee said.
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