Here's What Trump's New Limits On Refugees Mean

posted on: Sep 21, 2018

BY: STUART ANDERSON

The Trump administration recently announced a new level of refugee admissions many find controversial. The Pilgrims came to America fleeing religious intolerance and since the country’s founding refugees from around the world have seen the United States as a place to find freedom. But not everyone has welcomed refugees to our shores.

To understand the administration’s recent announcement on refugees and its implications, I interviewed Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization at World Relief and the national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table. Matthew is the co-author of the recent books Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate and Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis.

Stuart Anderson: What is the annual refugee ceiling?

Matthew Soerens: The Refugee Act of 1980 gives the president the responsibility, in consultation with Congress, to set a maximum number of refugees who will be admitted to the United States each fiscal year. The consultation with Congress seems to have become something of a formality, as ultimately the president has the authority to set the cap.

Anderson: What did the Trump administration just announce?

Soerens: On September 17, 2018, the Secretary of State announced the administration’s intention to set the annual refugee ceiling at just 30,000 for fiscal year 2019. That won’t be official until the administration consults with Congress and the president signs a determination, so at World Relief we’re still urging the president to reconsider this historically-low ceiling.

Anderson: How do Donald Trump’s refugee policies compare to those of other contemporary presidents?

Soerens: In 1980, the year the Refugee Act was signed into law, the refugee ceiling was set above 230,000, and nearly that many refugees arrived, primarily – at that time – from Vietnam. The average ceiling during President Reagan’s two terms in office was about 90,000. President George H.W. Bush set it between 125,000 and 142,000 each year of his administration. Throughout the entire second Bush administration and the Obama administration, the ceiling was always between 70,000 and 85,000, until President Obama raised it to 110,000 two years ago.

The Trump administration recently announced a new level of refugee admissions many find controversial. The Pilgrims came to America fleeing religious intolerance and since the country’s founding refugees from around the world have seen the United States as a place to find freedom. But not everyone has welcomed refugees to our shores.

To understand the administration’s recent announcement on refugees and its implications, I interviewed Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization at World Relief and the national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table. Matthew is the co-author of the recent books Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate and Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis.

Stuart Anderson: What is the annual refugee ceiling?

Matthew Soerens: The Refugee Act of 1980 gives the president the responsibility, in consultation with Congress, to set a maximum number of refugees who will be admitted to the United States each fiscal year. The consultation with Congress seems to have become something of a formality, as ultimately the president has the authority to set the cap.

Anderson: What did the Trump administration just announce?

Soerens: On September 17, 2018, the Secretary of State announced the administration’s intention to set the annual refugee ceiling at just 30,000 for fiscal year 2019. That won’t be official until the administration consults with Congress and the president signs a determination, so at World Relief we’re still urging the president to reconsider this historically-low ceiling.

Anderson: How do Donald Trump’s refugee policies compare to those of other contemporary presidents?

Soerens: In 1980, the year the Refugee Act was signed into law, the refugee ceiling was set above 230,000, and nearly that many refugees arrived, primarily – at that time – from Vietnam. The average ceiling during President Reagan’s two terms in office was about 90,000. President George H.W. Bush set it between 125,000 and 142,000 each year of his administration. Throughout the entire second Bush administration and the Obama administration, the ceiling was always between 70,000 and 85,000, until President Obama raised it to 110,000 two years ago.