CHC Statement on Trump Administration Announcement to Slash Refugee Admissions to a Historic Low

WASHINGTON — Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following statement in response to the Department of State's report to Congress lowering the refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2020 to 18,000:

"In the last months, we have heard troubling reports of the Trump Administration's plans to lower the refugee cap to unprecedentedly low levels. Today, that reprehensible and cruel policy change became a reality. This 18,000 cap will decide the fate of hundreds of thousands who have been driven from their homes by unimaginable violence and persecution – families that have been living in squalid conditions in refugee camps for years, waiting for their admission to the United States. These families, who would have been admitted any other year, will be denied because the cap has been set so low.

"Bipartisan lawmakers, faith groups, and Americans of conscience have long stood by our commitment to refugees and our common humanity. Everyday Americans have opened their doors to welcome refugees, given them clothing and food, and helped them feel at home in cities and towns across the country. By lowering the cap, the Trump Administration is chipping away at our nation's responsibility to be a safe haven and home for those most in need. We must condemn this shameful decision in the strongest terms and demand that our country stand by our Americans values and commitment to refugees."

# # #

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.