Trump Administration’s Scaledown of Refugee Program Is Built to Endure

Wall Street Journal ^ | October 20, 2019 | Michelle Hackman

[karpov]

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration’s decision to reduce this year’s refugee cap to a record-low 18,000 people is just one step in its broader plan to shrink the program and make it harder for any future administration to quickly resume accepting refugees.

The government has increased vetting of most refugees, slowing the arrival of people who were previously approved. It also said last month that it would stop accepting most new referrals from the United Nations agency that coordinates world-wide refugee resettlement, meaning almost no new applicants will enter the yearslong process required for resettlement in the U.S.

The administration also this year introduced a new system of setting caps for special categories of refugees, including Iraqis who aided the U.S. military and people fleeing religious persecution, within its larger cap of 18,000. As a result of other steps it has taken to slow their processing, the real number of refugees admitted to the U.S. this year could fall well beneath that target.

President Trump hasn’t finalized the 18,000-person cap, though the fiscal year began Oct. 1, and the State Department has cancelled refugee flights through Oct. 28.

Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli, who oversees refugee vetting, said the slowdown is partly caused by the large number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum, for which people fleeing persecution and violence can apply once they are already on U.S. soil. Mr. Cuccinelli said resources are being put toward processing those cases.

The administration has taken separate steps to curtail asylum applications, particularly from Central American migrants, who made up the majority of the nearly one million people crossing the border last year, including requiring those migrants to apply for humanitarian protection in other Central American countries.

[karpov]

There are today and have been historically genuine refugees fleeing persecution. I think we should have admitted more Jews before the Holocaust. But if the Democrats won't agree to reforms of the refugee system when it is being abused, it must be scaled back.

[hardspunned]

I think Barry could have done better than the less than 1% Christian refugees accepted. These people were in as much jeopardy as WWII Jews when Barry was catering to his ISIS buddies. I’d love to see Trump announce a catch up period of years in which only persecuted Christians would be eligible for US refugee status.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Now if we can just get that number to zero..

[Notthereyet]

I agree and I have a dog in this fight.

My eldest son is engaged to a lovely young woman in the PI and I an expecting him to leave the US to marry her and stay in the PI.

It has taken him years to meet someone with whom he will trust to enter his life. She was vetted by my ex’s family before they even mentioned her to him. LOL

She’s pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment and in general believes she and my son would take what steps necessary to protect their children should they be blessed with children.

Though I would really love to meet this young woman, I realized early on that may not happen. I advised my son that it is his life and her life and if it has been approved by the Lord God then he needs to be with her.

So while it sucks to have to happen this way, I’m accepting it. :)

[miss marmelstein]

And what if they are fake Christians? Seems to me during the invasion into Europe two years ago, we had plenty of muzzles wearing crosses getting in.

[GOPJ]

The government has increased vetting of most refugees, slowing the arrival of people who were previously approved. It also said last month that it would stop accepting most new referrals from the United Nations agency that coordinates world-wide refugee resettlement, meaning almost no new applicants will enter the years long process required for resettlement in the U.S.

IF this was the only accomplishment of the Trump Administration it would be enough to earn my vote for another four years... Finally - stopping the insanity... Looks like corrupt liberals won't be able to 'sell their speeches' for as much now to third world hellholes.

[Thank You Rush]

“”It also said last month that it would stop accepting most new referrals from the United Nations agency that coordinates world-wide refugee resettlement, meaning almost no new applicants will enter the yearslong process required for resettlement in the U.S.””

Very good news...it’s where the likes of Omar came from and many others like her - no doubt all the Somalis that are now in MN...The so called “faith based charities” won’t be happy with the loss of revenue but they are just as crooked as the UN is. Good news indeed - glad to hear it.

[Thank You Rush]

A bachelor neighbor of ours married a girl from the Philippines and she is also very lovely - smart also. He went over there to meet her and her family and then returned to be married there. It took quite awhile for the paperwork to be completed for her to come here after they were married. She didn’t speak much English at all when she arrived and in just a few short years speaks it like a native. There’s a large difference in their ages but it hasn’t presented a problem. His family here were apprehensive about her motive in marrying someone from the US and the age difference but they have not been disappointed in his choice and have accepted her without any problem.