The Trump administration intends to set the refugee ceiling at 30,000 in fiscal year 2019, down from an already-historic low of 45,000 this year. When President Donald Trump entered office the ceiling exceeded 100,000. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo EMPLOYMENT & IMMIGRATION Trump shifts refugee focus away from Middle East and Africa

President Donald Trump's refugee plan for the coming fiscal year would nearly halve the number of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, according to a report to Congress obtained by POLITICO.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday that the administration intends to set the refugee ceiling at 30,000 in fiscal year 2019, down from an already historic low of 45,000 this year. When Trump entered office the ceiling exceeded 100,000.


A related report to Congress proposes regional caps. The administration intends to drop the number of refugees from the Middle East and South Asia — regions that include countries such as Iraq, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan — to 9,000 in fiscal year 2019, down from 17,500 in the current year.

In addition, the maximum number of refugees from Africa would fall to 11,000 in the coming year, down from 19,000.

By contrast, some regions would see increased caps. The number of refugees from Latin America would double to 3,000 in fiscal year 2019, up from 1,500.

The tally for Europe and Central Asia would rise to 3,000, a 50 percent increase over the previous year.

While these numbers represent the ceiling for each region, the number of actual admissions could end up being far lower. This year, the Trump administration has admitted less than half the level of its 45,000-person refugee ceiling.