The Trump administration, poised to admit a historically-low number of refugees into the U.S. for resettlement this year, has intentionally ”overloaded the FBI and other government agencies with an array of procedures that have weighed down the bureaucracy and effectively delayed refugee admissions,” former Trump officials and human rights groups tell NBC News.
Refugees already face a vetting process that can last as long as two years, but that hasn’t stopped the administration from fear mongering about these vulnerable families while doing absolutely nothing about the U.S. citizens shooting up schools, concerts, and video game tournaments. So since the administration can’t end the refugee program outright, officials like White House aide and white supremacist Stephen Miller are trying other options in hopes of a similar result.
“The FBI screening mainly involves sifting through databases to check if the refugee applicant has no links to extremists,” the report continued. “On some days, the FBI has managed to review only a handful of cases, creating a bottleneck in the processing of refugee applications, humanitarian workers and two former officials who served under President Donald Trump told NBC News.”
By decree, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen could also send thousands of Central Americans back to their deaths by blocking asylum claims based on fear of gang and domestic violence. Border agents have already been turning away people asking for asylum at a U.S. port of entry, which is a legal act under U.S. law.
“More people have been forced to flee their homes by conflict and crisis than at any time since World War II,” said the International Rescue Committee, yet the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “has also drastically cut the number of staff that manage refugee admissions and travel overseas to interview those seeking to resettle in the U.S.,” NBC News continues.
Additionally, while the administration cut these vital employees (which then affects how many applicants can be vetted), it’s attempting to confirm an anti-immigrant zealot, Ronald Mortensen, to a top refugee post. These Trump administration moves make up an all-out assault on refugees, asylum-seekers, and other vulnerable people seeking safety in the U.S. Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to reject this hate monger, and to stop attacks on the refugee process.