REFUGEES/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump plans to reduce the annual refugee cap to 18,000 in the coming fiscal year, the State Department said Thursday [9-26-19]. The lower ceiling follows a trend under Trump of cutting refugee levels every year. The administration considered dropping the cap to zero, but ultimately opted to keep the program running amid pressure from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Trump also issued an executive order Thursday that requires department leaders to develop new procedures for refugee resettlement. Under the terms of the order, states and localities must consent to refugee resettlement before refugees can be sent to those areas. The secretary of State can override the geographic restrictions if they are determined to be contrary to federal law or related policies. The cut to refugee levels comes after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with a sweeping ban on asylum-seekers who transit through another country en route to the U.S.-Mexico border.”
–Ted Hesson, “Trump administration nearly halves refugee cap for coming year,” Politico, September 26, 2019 7:00 pm