As fewer Syrian refugees are allowed into the U.S., the conflict in Syria “continues to burn,” said the vice president of policy and advocacy for the International Rescue Committee.
The Trump administration slashed the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country from 12,587 in fiscal year 2016 to a meager 62 in 2018. Mustafa Khatieb, who fled Syria to join his family in neighboring Lebanon a year and a half ago, watched on from the country's capital.
Their desire to find safety in the U.S."is not dwindling," Nazanin Ash, vice president of policy and advocacy for the International Rescue Committee , told Newsweek. "I would say that it's their hope that is dwindling." The U.S.'s decision to drastically roll back its refugee resettlement program has not only had a"tremendous impact on Syrians" hoping to find refuge in the U.S., but on the global community's ability to respond to their plight.
"Those countries are increasingly saying, If wealthy nations won't do more to help us, then why should we keep our borders open?" she said. And, as a result,"Lebanon and Jordan have both effectively closed their borders since 2016." Further, the Trump administration has capped the number of refugees worldwide to be allowed into the country at 30,000 for the fiscal year, representing a drop from the 45,000 cap it set in 2018.
"So, even though we're more than halfway into the fiscal year, the Trump administration has really only filled 12 percent of that cap," Ash said.
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