The Trump administration's long-running attacks on legal immigration may soon escalate even further, as the White House mulls plans to drastically cut the number of refugees admitted into the U.S. Following earlier reports suggesting the administration could slash its number of refugee admissions next year, the New York Times reported Friday that the White House is weighing several options for the future of the U.S.'s refugee admissions—and all would basically signal the end of the country's refugee re-settlement program as it exists today.

Per the Times, the administration is currently considering a plan that would “[zero] out the program altogether,” only allowing the president to admit refugees during an emergency. Another option would cut refugee admissions down to 10,000 or 15,000—far fewer than this year's already-low cap of 30,000 refugees—and save the coveted slots for refugees from “a few handpicked countries or groups with special status,” such as Iraqi and Afghan citizens who help the American military and intelligence services. (The few refugees who can settle in the U.S. may then face additional roadblocks, according to reports suggesting the administration is separately considering allowing states and cities to individually deny entry to admitted refugees.) The issue is likely to come to a head on Tuesday at a high-level meeting in the Situation Room, where administration officials will deliberate on the number that President Donald Trump should set as next year's refugee admissions ceiling.

Unsurprisingly, the Times notes that the administration's decimation of the refugee program is being done at the urging of Trump's adviser and anti-immigration henchman Stephen Miller, along with his allies in the Departments of State and Homeland Security. Miller's long-standing anti-refugee views have previously faced resistance in the Pentagon, though, as former Secretary of Defense James Mattis vehemently defended the need for admitting refugees who have served with American troops. While the Times notes that current Defense Secretary Mark Esper has not yet signaled how he'll advise the administration about their current refugee plans, retired high-ranking military officials have picked up Mattis's mantle, with 27 retired generals and admirals sending a letter to Trump earlier this week to criticize the administration's planned cuts. The officials called the refugee program a “critical lifeline” for those who help the American government abroad, and said even the current 30,000 cap is “leaving thousands in harm’s way.” “We urge you to protect this vital program and ensure that the refugee admissions goal is robust, in line with decades-long precedent, and commensurate with today’s urgent global needs,” the officials wrote. Though the administration is considering still admitting refugees who worked with American officials under their potential plans, the number of successful refugees would still be far lower than those with a need to re-settle. The Wall Street Journal reported that 107,000 Iraqis who have helped American troops are waiting to be processed as refugees to the U.S., which is in addition to the more than 100,000 refugees currently on a referral list for possible American re-settlement.

The White House's planned 2020 cuts would be a further escalation of the administration's existing attacks on refugee admissions, which have been slashed under Trump to record lows. The administration set a 45,000 person refugee ceiling in 2018 prior to the 30,000 cap this year, which marked the lowest ceiling since the refugee resettlement program was established in 1980. (Under President Barack Obama, the refugee ceilings ranged between 70,000-85,000 per year.) And the actual number of admitted refugees has slowed even further, even as the refugee crisis only continues to grow. Though approximately 26,000 refugees have entered the U.S. through August 16 of this year, coming close to the 30,000 ceiling, only 22,491 were admitted in 2018, despite the United Nations reporting over 20 million refugees globally that year. Should the Trump administration follow through with their newest wave of drastic cuts, it will affect the thousands of refugees currently in the years-long process of coming to the U.S.—and potentially torpedo the resettlement program for years to come. More than 29,000 refugees have completed interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and 9,000 are currently approved to travel to the U.S., which could all be undone by a potential decision to essentially shut down the program. “In the long-term, [the cuts] would mean that the capacity and the ability of the United States to resettle refugees would be completely decimated,” Jen Smyers, a director with U.S. resettlement agency Church World Service, told Politico in July.

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