On Tuesday, we learned that the Trump Administration intends limit the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. to 45,000 for the 2018 fiscal year. This represents the lowest admissions goal since 1980. By comparison, the 2017 limit allowed for 110,000 refugees.

RefugePoint is profoundly disappointed that in this time of great need, with more than 22.5 million refugees worldwide, the U.S. plans to drastically reduce the number of refugees that it welcomes to the country.

“The decision to reduce the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. to 45,000 is life-threatening for many of the families that our staff are working with on the frontlines,” said Sasha Chanoff, Founder and Executive Director of RefugePoint.

Resettlement is often the best, and sometimes the only option for refugees who cannot return home and are not able to reside safely in the country to which they have fled. Drastically reducing the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. sets a dangerous precedent for other countries to become less welcoming, leaving millions of refugees in life-threatening situations.

RefugePoint and other resettlement organizations continue to strongly urge that the U.S. offer safety and protection to at least 75,000 refugees for the coming fiscal year. We believe that the U.S. must continue its role as the global leader in offering protection to refugees, and we ask that Congress and the Administration recognize the grave impacts that this decision will have on vulnerable refugees around the world, including unaccompanied children, people with severe medical needs, and survivors of torture. At this crucial time, we must step up and not back.