As you know, we expected President Donald Trump to announce his refugee admissions ceiling for FY18 at least a week ago. But, if CBS has it right from the State Department blabbers, we learn his decision will come after this weekend.
In fact, by law, this whole process should have been started at least a month ago, as I told you here. Unfortunately, like all Presidents before him (and Congress which is supposed to be consulted in advance), following the law is the least of their concerns!
So Donald, as you think about this over yet another weekend, consider the optics!
America First!
There are Americans hurting—in Texas, in Florida and now Puerto Rico. They need housing, medical care, and food.
Are you going to tell the nation, tell taxpayers, they will, in addition to our refugees, be shelling out for another 40,000-50,000 third world impoverished people to begin arriving on October 1?
Suspend the program for at least 6 months—it is the politically sensible thing to do!
(George Bush already set a precedent in 2001 by delaying the determination due that September!)
And besides, the Open borders Left and the contractors are going to scream bloody murder over 40,000-50,000 anyway (they want 75,000)!
Here is CBS reporting on the blabbers at the US State Department:
The Department of Homeland Security has been pushing for a reduction beyond the 50,000 maximum-entry mark set by Trump earlier this year as part of his travel ban executive orders – a number that is already the lowest in modern American history. In a proposal submitted late last week, the department called for a reduction to 40,000 refugees in the next budget year starting Oct. 1, citing concerns about its workload and ability to adequately vet those seeking entry.
The State Department, which oversees the program, has formally recommended that the number be kept at 50,000, according to Trump administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.
Agencies had been given until the close of business Wednesday to submit formal recommendations for consideration.
State Department “officials” virtue-signalling!
State Department officials would have been inclined to set their recommendation higher, several of the people said, but were taking their cues from the president’s executive order and felt that 50,000 was the highest number that would be palatable to him.
Trump has until Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, to determine how many refugees to admit under the Refugee Act of 1980. He is expected to consider the issue over the weekend, after he finishes up at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, one White House official said.
[….]
Simon Henshaw, the top State Department official for refugees, said the decision was ultimately Trump’s.
CBS must have been talking to Henshaw.
It looks like we have a few more days—tell Donald Trump what you think!