Number of Christian Refugees Entering U.S. Falls 40%

Number of Christian Refugees Entering U.S. Falls by 40%

Number of Christian Refugees Entering U.S. Falls 40%
Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Despite Trump’s promise to protect them, the number of Christian refugees accepted by the U.S. has dropped.

United States President Donald Trump's zeal to limit refugee numbers setting foot on American soil has slashed the numbers of Christians[/tweetit] finally seeking refuge in America. Ironically, Trump himself has promised to protect these same refugees from being persecuted and allow them to follow their faith. In fact, the U.S. President has repeatedly promised to defend Christians who are vulnerable in their home countries on his presidential campaign trail, but his own policies have hurt the group he wanted most to protect.

Number of Christian Refugees Entering U.S. Falls 40%[/tweetthis]

Almost 11,000 fewer refugees belonging to the Christian faith were allowed to gain entry to the United States in the past fiscal year, compared to 2017. Not only are the incoming numbers are dismal, but those Christians who were already inside the United States are also afraid of being deported. ICE agents have arrested a number of Iraqi Christians living on American soil. There is more than an even chance of their subsequent deportation.

Immigrant activists and religious groups have unequivocally condemned the White House's crackdown on immigration and reducing the incoming numbers. In its statement, the Refugees Council USA said it is a matter of irony that the laws which the Trump administration designed to keep out Muslims have ensured other religious groups like Christians are also shut out of the system. It is clear, the statement says, the president, in reality, has no interest in guaranteeing religious freedom or safeguarding the weak from religious persecution. Only 14,289 refugees entered the United States in 2018 compared to 25,162 in 2017.

The Trump administration, for its part, continues the rhetoric towards its purported defense of Christian refugees. Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, said during a rally in 2017 that the country was all set to stand united with the persecuted people in the Middle East. He claimed Christianity was under attack everywhere in the world, and more so in the ancient land where it first originated. In its hurry to "secure" U.S. borders, the Trump administration has scrapped all deportation guidelines framed during the Obama era. This enabled the Trump regime to speed up deportation of undocumented immigrants, despite many courts objecting to their quick removal.

Although there was a sharp drop of Christian refugees, the data also throws up the fact that among the new refugee arrivals, Christians now make up a lion's share of arrivals, upstaging Muslims who used to come in larger numbers earlier. The number of Muslim refugees dropped from 38,900 in 2016 to a meager 3,200 in 2017, a mind-numbing decline of approximately 90 percent.

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