President Donald Trump told Congress on Wednesday that the administration would cap the number of refugees admitted into the United States at 45,000, the Hill reports. That figure marks a nearly 50 percent decrease from fiscal year 2016, when the Department of Homeland Security resettled 85,000 refugees.
The cap is also the lowest set since 1980, when Ronald Reagan established a ceiling of 67,000 refugees.
Stephen Miller, one of the president’s top policy advisers, reportedly recommended the U.S. not admit more than 15,000 refugees; the Departments of State and Defense suggested the cap be set at 50,000.
