President Donald Trump's administration plans to dramatically reduce the number of refugees allowed into the United States during the coming year.
The White House announced in a report to Congress Wednesday that the U.S. plans to admit no more than 45,000 refugees during the year ahead - the smallest number in more than 35 years.
Former President Barack Obama had proposed a refugee allotment more than twice as great - 110,000 - during the next 12 months.
Trump is expected to formally announce the new refugee allowment plan during the coming days. The new limit of 45,000 refugee admissions would be in effect during the U.S. fiscal year that begins Sunday. It is lower than limits set in any year since the U.S. refugee program was established in 1980.
A full-year total of refugee admissions for fiscal 2017, which ends Saturday night, is expected to be about 54,000. During fiscal 2016, the last full year of Obama's two terms as president, the U.S. welcomed 84,995 refugees.
Immigration experts noted the 45,000 figure is a "cap," or maximum number of refugees that can be admitted during the next 12 months, and they said the number of refugees actually admitted by September 30, 2018, could be substantially lower.
Trump's decision was sharply criticized by aid groups, whose representatives pointed to refugee crises that have worsened, not improved, in many parts of the world, including Syria, Myanmar and South Sudan.
Administration officials said Trump's new cap on numbers admitted will advance national security and the United States' capacity to properly screen and take in refugees.
Worldwide, there were 22.5 million refugees last year, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and that estimate does not include many more people who were internally displaced - forced to leave their homes and move to different parts of their home countries, due to wars, political upheaval or other violence, extreme poverty or natural disasters.
美国政府不顾人道主义团体要求美国接纳更多难民的呼吁，计划在今后一年内大幅度减少接收难民的人数。
白宫星期三向国会提交报告说，明年计划最多接纳4万5千名难民，是30多年来的最低水平。
美国前总统奥巴马曾提议，在下个财政年度接收11万难民，是川普政府计划的两倍多。
预计川普今后几天内将正式宣布这一决定。新的难民接收上限将于星期天新财政年度开始时生效，4万5千名难民的限额是美国1980年设立难民项目以来的最低点。
在星期六晚上结束的2017财政年度中，美国约接收了5万4千名难民。在前总统奥巴马任期最后一年，2016财政年度中，共有8万4千995名难民进入美国。
移民专家说，4万5千人是上限，2018财政年度实际接收的难民人数可能远远低于上限。
川普的这一决定受到了援助团体的强烈批评。他们指出，世界上很多地方的难民危机不仅没有改善，反而有所恶化，其中包括叙利亚、缅甸和南苏丹。
美国政府官员说，川普的这一决定有助于提升国家安全，让美国有效甄别和接纳难民。
联合国难民事务高级专员公署的统计数字显示，去年全球共有2250万难民，这一估计数字不包括因战争、政治动荡或其它暴力冲突，极度贫困或自然灾害而在国内迁移的人群。