The U.S. State Department is proposing that the United States receive proportionally fewer refugees from Africa and the Middle East in the coming year than it planned to last year, in favor of an increase in refugees from Asia and Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to data obtained from the agency.
In a recent email, a department spokesperson confirmed the regional allocations first reported by Politico last week.
The numbers are not final, however. The State Department told VOA last week it was in the process of scheduling the required consultations with Congress before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, after which President Donald Trump will issue the annual presidential declaration confirming the so-called refugee ceiling. That is, the maximum number of refugees that would be allowed into the United States in the coming 12 months.
