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Expert: White House Justification for Low Refugee Admissions 'Faulty'

September 27, 2019 (1 min read)

Deirdre Shesgreen and Courtney Subramanian, USA TODAY, Sept. 26, 2019

"The Trump administration said Thursday it will reduce the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States to a historic low – permitting no more than 18,000 people fleeing war, violence and persecution across the globe to make a new home in America.

The administration also plans to change the way refugee slots are divvied up and only allow resettlement in communities that "consent" to take them, a controversial change that critics said could spur resentment against refugees and the local officials who welcome them.

... Stephen Yale-Loehr, a law school professor and immigration expert at Cornell University, said the administration's justification for slashing refugee admissions – blaming the asylum backlog– is faulty. He said that fewer people are being at the U.S.-Mexico border now than in 2000.

"Moreover, the Trump administration has aggravated the backlog in asylum cases by failing to hire enough immigration judges," Yale-Loehr said."

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