October 4, 2017. This article discusses the Trump administration’s decision to cap the number of refugee arrivals to 45,000, the lowest cap since the resettlement process began. Alternatively, the administration believes that it will be more cost effective to provide services to them in their home country. The article goes on to discuss how refugees have helped with population decline in upstate New York cities and how they are important to the local economies.
President Trump announced last week that the United States will admit only 45,000 refugees in the coming year, the most restrictive limit since the resettlement program began.
Resettlement does require some initial investment of public dollars, but David Kallick, deputy director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, said refugees are playing a critical role in revitalizing upstate cities that have been in economic decline.
“Once they’re settled, they contribute like everyone else to the economy and to the tax base,” he said, “and refugee resettlement brings federal dollars to the region to offset those initial costs. So, for local governments, refugees are very real economic and fiscal contributors.”
Ninety-percent of refugees arriving in New York resettle in upstate communities.
Here is the link to the Public News Service.