The United States will dramatically cut refugee acceptance in 2019, capping the number of people allowed into the country at 30,000. The decision has been heavily criticized by human rights groups.
Image: Reuters/Z. Bensemra
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The Trump administration is capping the annual number of refugees allowed in the United States at an all-time low of 30,000, the lowest number since the State Department implemented its refugee program in 1980.
The new ceiling applies for fiscal year 2019, which begins on October 1. The actual number of refugees accepted may be lower.
"The improved refugee policy of this administration serves the national interest of the United States and expands our ability to help those in need all around the world," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday. "We are and continue to be the most generous nation in the world."
Pompeo also said the United States needed to prevent criminal and terror threats.
President Donald Trump slashed the refugee ceiling to 45,000 last year, but the actual number of refugees resettled with two weeks left before the end of the fiscal year stands at around 21,000. The United States accepted 85,000 refugees in the final year of the Obama administration.
Pompeo said asylum applications, mostly from Mexico and Central America, had taxed the bureaucracy. The United States is now processing 280,000 asylum requests, he said, adding to some 800,000 asylum requests were awaiting adjudication.
'Shameful abdication of our humanity'
The Trump administration has come under criticism for dramatically clamping down on immigration at a time of historic refugee numbers around the globe.
Human Rights First, an advocacy group, called the low refugee cap "a shameful abdication of our humanity in the face of the worst refugee crisis in history."
Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, pointed out the United States has traditionally been a leader when it came to funding refugee assistance programs and admitting refugees.
"We are so much better than this," she wrote on Twitter.
How did Europe's refugee crisis start?
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
