U.S. Passes 50,000 Refugee Cap in 2017, New Restrictions to Follow
The U.S. has reached the 50,000 refugee cap set by the Trump administration. Resettlements will continue, but under tighter new standards.
Critics have attacked the cap as low and arbitrary. It follows a Supreme Court order that the administration must admit refugees beyond the 50,000 cap only if they can prove a “bona fide relationship” with a person or entity in the U.S.
A total of 50,086 refugees have been admitted in this budget year since October. Additional refugees will face the same tough screening, but they will also have to meet the “close relative” standard.
“The pause on resettlement and restrictions on the number of persons who can enter our country as refugees will have an immediate effect on our ability to conduct the lifesaving work of providing safety and protection,” said Kay Bellor from the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which works on resettlement.
“We can’t forget that this is not about a number,” she added. “This is about saving lives.”
Small-Scale Syrian Returns Not Part of Broader Plan, Says U.N.
Small numbers of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are returning home under a local deal. The returns have been brokered by the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah and a group in Syria.
A trickle of people are moving from Lebanon’s border town of Arsal to the Syrian town of Asal al-Ward under escort from the Lebanese army. Hezbollah, which has backed Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, facilitated the move after indirect talks with Syrian rebel group Saraya Ahl al-Sham.
The U.N. refugee agency, which had no role in the deal, warned against larger-scale returns: “The UNHCR is not at a stage where it’s promoting return because the conditions are not conducive,” said UNHCR’s Dana Sleiman.
“It’s been three years and we haven’t seen our families and relatives,” refugee Abeer Mahmoud al-Haj told Reuters. “May God return everyone to his country, there is no better than Syria.”
Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrians, of whom more than 1 million are registered refugees. There are deep divisions in Lebanon over whether the government should work with the Assad regime over refugee returns.
Macron Plan Kind to Refugees, Tough on Economic Migrants
France has unveiled an action plan to speed up asylum claims and support for refugees. The plan also includes measures to “systematically” deport illegal migrants.
The balance of the plan was backed by new president Emmanuel Macron, who has sought to contrast refugees in need of protection with illegal economic migrants, who he said should be removed from France.
“We are not what France should be,” said France’s prime minister, Edouard Philippe, who highlighted measures to boost housing for refugees.
He said 40 percent of asylum seekers and refugees are without access to housing and that 12,500 new homes and shelters would be found in the next two years.
In addition to housing, new support for language teaching was promised.
Tougher language was used to describe illegal economic migrants, who would be “systematically” deported. He also appeared to suggest more migrants would face detention prior to deportation.
Recommended Reading:
- Marketplace: Anarchists Offer a Lifeline for Refugees in Greece
- The Conversation: Refugees Are Helping Others in Their Situation as Social Entrepreneurs
- San Francisco Examiner: Is America Hand-Picking the Best Refugees?
- IRIN: Aegean Island Refugees Fear Greek Government Aid Takeover