Washington D.C., Jul 22, 2019 / 12:01 pm
If reports of major cuts to the U.S. refugee resettlement and asylum programs are true they are alarming, the chair of the US bishops' migration committee said Friday.
Politico has reported that officials in the Trump administration were considering cutting the annual refugee cap next year to zero, or to greatly reduced numbers such as 10,000 or 3,000. This represents the total number of refugees that would be allowed into the United States in the next fiscal year.
"This recent report, if true, is disturbing and against the principles we have as a nation and a people, and has the potential to end the refugee resettlement program entirely," Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin said July 19..
The reports were leaked to Politico from three individuals close to recent meetings of security officials.