Trouble for African migrants as Trump plans to reduce number of refugee admission to US

macfranc007 September 21, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Onyirioha Nnamdi

- The Trump administration will reduce the ceiling for refugee admission from 45, 000 to 30,000

- This will be the lowest ceiling starting Monday, October 1, to be set by the US since 1980

- Of the current 45, 000 refugees allowed into US, 19, 000 slots were allocated to African refugees

- The ceiling was, however, not reached with only 9,007 African refugees admitted in the 2017 fiscal year

African refugees have suffered another blow as the President Donald Trump's administration plans to lower the admission of refugees in to the United States of America (USA) from the beginning of the next fiscal year On Monday, October 1, 2018.

In what is expected to be the lowest ceiling for refugee admission since 1980, the numbers will be reduced from the current 45, 000 to 30,000.

African migrants put on notice as Trump plans to reduce number of refugee admission to US

African migrants on their way to Europe. Photo: Business Insider

Of the 45, 000 refugees admitted in to the states, 19,000 come from Africa, a number now set to be reduced further, Council on Foreign Relations reported on Thursday, September 20.

Unfortunately, the breakdown of the new admissions for the upcoming fiscal year is not yet available.

Although it is usual for the number of refugees admitted to the US in a given year to approach or even surpass the ceiling, the admissions made in the 2017 fiscal year are reported to be below the ceiling.

African migrants rescued by European coast guards. Photo: Business Insider

The countries from which the largest number of refugees were admitted in the previous fiscal year running from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, were the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 6,820, followed by Ethiopia with 261.

Somalia came in third with 250, Burundi came in fourth with 157, and Central African Republic with 136, putting the totals at 9,007.

It was also reported of the total allocated for Africans, 5,000 spots had been allocated to Congolese living in Rwanda and Tanzania, and another 500 allocated to asylum seekers from certain countries with immediate family in the US.

A photo of African migrants. Photo: Business Insider

At present, the countries from which refugees were allocated asylum are Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

While admission to the US as a refugee is a difficult and time consuming process, eligibility for consideration for admission is determined by officials on a case by case basis.

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The applicant is also required to demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution based on criteria such as race, religion, or political or social affiliation.

Having established eligibility, a refugee applicant is vetted by multiple government entities, including the Departments of State and Homeland Security and several security agencies.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that a batch of 218 Nigerians, which included seven pregnant women on Tuesday, May 8, voluntarily returned from the volatile North African country of Libya where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

The returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos about 3.44 am aboard a chartered Libyan Airlines Airbus A330-200 aircraft with registration number 5A-LAU.

Mass deportation: Tales of woes from Libya - On NAIJ .com TV