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Refugee Admissions Under the Trump Administration

By Nayla Rush on December 29, 2017

As 2017 is coming to an end, let's take a quick look at refugee admissions under President Trump from the time he took office on January 20, 2017, through December 20, 2017 (a total of 11 months). For comparison, let's also check admissions under President Obama for the same period in 2016.

State Department data shows that the numbers fell dramatically (by 70 percent) under President Trump. Refugees admitted in the first 11 months of the Trump administration were mostly Christian (53.2 percent), while Muslims accounted for 32 percent and Buddhists and Hindus accounted for 9.2 percent. For the same period in 2016 under Obama, the refugees admitted were plurality Muslim (45 percent), while Christians accounted for 44.2 percent and Buddhists and Hindus accounted for 5.4 percent.

The top five countries of origin were:

  • Trump: Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Ukraine, and Somalia;
  • Obama: Congo, Syria, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia.

Admissions Ceilings. President Obama's FY 2016 refugee admission ceiling was 85,000. His 110,000 ceiling for FY 2017 was adjusted by President Trump to 50,000. The FY 2018 ceiling was set at 45,000 by President Trump (the lowest refugee ceiling since 1980).

FY 2018 Admission Numbers YTD (October 1, 2017, to December 20, 2017)

  • Total admissions: 5,176
  • Christians: 60.0 percent
  • Buddhists and Hindus: 18 percent
  • Muslims: 13.5 percent
  • Top five countries of origin: Bhutan (28 percent), Dem. Rep. Congo (22.3 percent), Burma (12.4 percent), Ukraine (9.4 percent), Eritrea (7.8 percent)

Ongoing Commitment to Refugee Protection

While refugee admissions are down, the Trump administration remains committed to refugee protection. The United States is still the largest donor to the UN Refugee Agency: $133,795,709 for 2018 by the Trump administration compared to $125,000,000 for 2017 by the Obama administration. While the Trump administration decided to end its participation in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, it is still part of the Global Compact for Refugees. The U.S. endorsement of the "New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants" and participation in both Global Compacts were decided by the Obama administration. President Trump's commitment to the Global Compact for Refugees is definitely worth following.

Another commitment made by President Obama is being honored by President Trump. The deal to resettle Australia's unwanted asylum seekers made between Australia and the outgoing Obama administration is being carried out by the Trump administration. As many as 1,250 refugees from Australia's offshore detention centers on the small island nation of Nauru and on Manus Island, part of Papua New Guinea, could be resettled in the United States by 2018. The first group of 54 arrived this September. Another 200 (mainly Pakistanis, Afghanis, and Rohingya) are expected this coming year. The rest will probably follow. Let's hope they are provided special care, as many suffer from serious mental health problems following years of detention.

The data below is based on the State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) (accessed December 20, 2017).

Refugee Admissions Under the Trump Administration from January 20, 2017, to December 20, 2017 (11 months)

  • Total admissions: 28,875
  • Christians: 15,376 (53.2 percent)
  • Muslims: 9,235 (32 percent)
  • Buddhists: 1,551(5.4 percent)
  • Hindus: 1,112 (3.8 percent)

Top Nationalities

  1. Dem. Rep. Congo: 5,108 — Mostly Christians: 4,907 (Muslims: 178)
  2. Burma: 3,516 — Mostly Christians: 1,985 (Muslims: 991; Buddhists: 473)
  3. Bhutan: 3,425 — Hindu: 1,081; Buddhists: 1,055; Christians: 688; Muslims: 2; Kirat: 597
  4. Ukraine: 2,853 — Mostly Christians: 2,750 (Muslims: 0)
  5. Somalia: 2,451— Mostly Muslims: 2,441 (Christians: 9)
  6. Iraq: 2,341 — Mostly Muslims: 1,653 (Christians: 472)
  7. Syria: 2,002 — Mostly Muslims: 1,954 (Christians: 39)
  8. Eritrea: 1,704 — Mostly Christians: 1,356 (Muslims: 348)
  9. Iran: 1,124 — Mostly Christians: 740 (Muslims: 60)
  10. Afghanistan: 607 — Mostly Muslims: 597 (Christians: 5)
  11. Sudan: 594 — Mostly Muslims: 444 (Christians: 154)

Note that on December 8 the State Department began implementing the full Presidential Proclamation 9645, "Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats", which restricts entry into the United States for nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen for security reasons. Of these, only one Somali was admitted to the United States between December 8 and December 20, 2017.

Refugee Admissions Under the Obama Administration from January 20, 2016, to December 20, 2016 (11 months)

  • Total admissions: 93,668
  • Muslims: 42,175 (45 percent)
  • Christians: 41,389 (44.2 percent)
  • Buddhists: 2,990 (3.2 percent)
  • Hindus: 2,041 (2.2 percent)

Top Nationalities

  1. Dem. Rep. Congo: 19,511 — Mostly Christians: 18,706 (Muslims: 689)
  2. Syria: 15,076 — Mostly Muslims: 14,903 (Christians: 121)
  3. Burma: 11,051 — Mostly Christians: 6,738 (Muslims: 2,855; Buddhists: 1,287)
  4. Iraq: 10,599 — Mostly Muslims: 8,069 (Christians: 1,812)
  5. Somalia: 10,463 — Mostly Muslims: 10,455 (Christians: 7)
  6. Bhutan: 5,869 — Hindus: 1,953; Buddhists: 1,660; Christians: 1,285
  7. Iran: 3,944 — Mostly Christians: 2,158 (Muslims: 393)
  8. Ukraine: 3,470 — Mostly Christians: 3,415
  9. Afghanistan: 2,802 — Mostly Muslims: 2724 (Christians: 67)
  10. Eritrea: 1,929 — Mostly Christians: 1,558 (Muslims: 369)
  11. Sudan: 1,466 — Mostly Muslims: 1,086 (Christians: 380)

Looking at refugee admissions under President Obama and President Trump since the beginning of FY 2017 to date (October 1, 2016, to December 20, 2017), we find that more refugees were admitted in three months under the Obama administration (30,017) than in 11 months under the Trump administration (28,875). Those who were admitted in the first three months of FY 2017 under Obama were plurality Muslim (47.7 percent) while those admitted the following 11 months under Trump were mostly Christian (53.2 percent).

Refugee Admissions Under the Obama Administration, First Three Months of FY 2017 (October 1, 2016, through January 19, 2017)

  • Total Admissions: 30,017
  • Muslims: 14,325 (47.7 percent)
  • Christians: 12,973 (43.3 percent)
  • Buddhists: 748 (2.5 percent)
  • Hindus: 518 (1.7 percent)

Top Nationalities

  1. Dem. Rep. Congo: 5,421 — Mostly Christians: 5,159 (Muslims: 229)
  2. Iraq: 4,622 — Mostly Muslims: 3,431 (Christians: 909)
  3. Syria: 4,588 — Mostly Muslims: 4,481 (Christians: 85)
  4. Somalia: 3,806 — Mostly Muslims: 3,804 (Christians: 1)
  5. Burma: 2,203 — Mostly Christians: 1,340 (Muslims: 567, Buddhists: 276, Hindu 3)
  6. Ukraine: 1,898 — Mostly Christians: 1,877, Muslims: 0
  7. Bhutan: 1,581 — Hindus: 498, Buddhists: 470, Christians: 298, Muslims: 0
  8. Iran: 1,482 — Mostly Christians: 815 (Muslims: 116)
  9. Afghanistan: 764 — Mostly Muslims: 735 (Christians: 29)
  10. Eritrea: 618 — Mostly Christians: 479 (Muslims: 139)
  11. Sudan: 417 — Mostly Muslims: 315 (Christians: 102)
Topics: Refugees