Oxfam, other nonprofits urge feds to raise refugee cap
Massachusetts refugee resettlement are urging the Trump administration to raise its proposed cap on refugees, noting that crises have forced millions from their homes and that the U.S. has the resources to respond
BOSTON — Massachusetts refugee resettlement agencies are urging the Trump administration to raise the admissions cap it has proposed.
Leaders of Oxfam America and other groups also said Tuesday that state policymakers need to bolster agencies serving refugees as their agencies deal with layoffs and closures because of federal funding cuts.
The U.S. Department of State last week proposed accepting 18,000 refugees in the 2020 fiscal year, or the lowest since the humanitarian program's creation in 1980.
The agency didn't comment, but Gov. Charlie Baker's office said it remains committed to supporting refugees because they're "vital" to Massachusetts' economy, culture and civic life.
The state says there were 783 refugees resettled in Massachusetts in the 2018 fiscal year and 1,993 in the prior fiscal year.
