One year ago on Saturday, President Trump issued an executive order to severely restrict the entry of refugees and other immigrant groups to the United States. This first version of the so-called travel ban set off protests at airports, lawsuits and global outcry — while thrilling some of the president’s supporters who were pleased by his swift fulfillment of a campaign pledge.

After court rulings and subsequent decrees from the Trump administration, refugees are now being resettled in the United States at a distressingly slow rate, with many applicants subject to delays and onerous reviews. The impact of the Trump policies has proved disastrous.

In the first year of the Trump administration only 29,725 refugees were admitted to the United States, a big drop from the 99,183 allowed in the previous year. In 1980, by comparison, the United States welcomed more than 200,000 refugees.

In October, Mr. Trump set the limit for refugee arrivals for the current fiscal year at a historical low of 45,000. And unless the pace of arrivals increases significantly, the United States will not reach even half that goal. This year, the United States is on track to resettle fewer refugees than Canada, which has a population roughly one-tenth that of the United States.