Several Christian advocacy groups are denouncing the Trump administration’s decision to lower the ceiling on the refugee resettlement program, arguing it undermines the administration’s goal of supporting religious minorities.
The State Department announced Thursday the United States intends to admit only 18,000 refugees out of an anticipated 368,000 refugee and asylum claims in fiscal year 2020. There are currently over 70 million displaced people worldwide, of whom about 26 million are refugees, and Christian refugee organizations say the lower ceiling will leave displaced religious minorities vulnerable to violence.
“Make no mistake, despite the rhetoric from the White House, this year’s Presidential Determination will cause incredible harm to refugees persecuted for their religion across the world who are in dire need of safety,” said Jen Smyers, director of policy and advocacy for Church World Service, an interdenominational Christian relief organization.
The White House has said that religious freedom is a priority, and during an event at the United Nations earlier this week, President Trump said America “will always be a voice for victims of religious persecution everywhere.”
Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization, said the administration has rightly highlighted the plight of religious minorities, but objected to the new refugee limit.
“The administration has, I think, very appropriately highlighted the importance of international religious freedom, as recently as a few days ago at the U.N. and we applaud that message, but to then basically close the door on individuals who have fled their country, particularly because of their faith, is undercutting their own agenda,” Soerens told the Washington Examiner.
World Relief CEO Tim Breene observed that the U.S. refugee ceiling has averaged over 90,000 over the past four decades and said in a press release that the announced limit “directly contradicts the administration’s previously stated commitment to protect persecuted and oppressed Christians around the world.”
As the refugee ceiling has lowered over the past few years, so has the number of Christian refugees admitted to the U.S., which has fallen about 36% between fiscal years 2016 and 2019, according to data provided to the Washington Examiner by World Relief.
Another relief organization, Catholic Charities USA, issued a statement Friday morning saying it “strongly opposes” the decision to reduce the number of refugees admitted into the United States, noting it is “a record low since the program began in 1980.”
