State Department Proposes Lowest Refugee Admission Cap Ever

The Trump administration wants to cap the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. at 45,000 during the next fiscal year. 

That would be the lowest refugee admission ceiling since the law establishing the ceiling was first put in place.

The numbers of refugees admitted has fluctuated over time, though, and hasn't always kept pace with the cap. Notably in 2002, admissions dropped by more than 60 percent, while the admission cap only fell by 12.5 percent.

If the cap is set at 45,000, it would go into effect Oct. 1, the start of the 2018 fiscal year. 

It will overlap with President Donald Trump's previous immigration executive order, which might still be headed for a Supreme Court challenge. That order bars refugees without a "bona fide" link to the U.S. from entering until it expires Oct. 24.

Report: Trump's Tactics Have North Korea Asking For Advice

President Richard Nixon used similar boisterous rhetoric to try and scare the Soviets and North Vietnamese to negotiate.

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The proposal also comes after the administration drafted a new ban on travel from eight countries, which replaced Trump's controversial ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries.

That order, however, doesn't mention new restrictions on refugees.