State Department: 30,000
refugee cap for FY19 may not be final number! By Ann Corcoran, 9/23/18.
We too were surprised when Secretary of
State Pompeo announced a cap of 30,000 refugees to be admitted to the US in
FY19 which begins in nine days.
Although as we have chronicled over the
years, the State Department and Congress have played loosey-goosey with the
required “consultation” between the branches over the refugee numbers for the
coming year, Pompeo’s surprise announcement did seem premature.
(See my post of last year about what the
process is supposed to entail, here.)
Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte to the
Prez: We want to “consult” on refugee cap. So Bob, where is the hearing also
required by law!
Now we see there is some waffling after
a sanctimonious Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte has called out the Administration
for not “consulting” with them first.
Many legally-required consultations over
the last ten years have been nothing-burgers where a few staffers from the
State Department went to the Hill to meet with staffers there to discuss the
coming refugee year.
I don’t know if any Members even show
up. I asked my Congressman if I might be permitted to go to the
consultation one year and he reported that, no the public was not permitted to
attend.
Although, in most years the
consultations were perfunctory, there was one exception recently and that was
the big show that Secretary of State John Kerry put on for FY2016 about Obama’s inflated 110,000 determination in the fall
of 2016.
(They thought Hillary was going to win and they were flexing muscles and
getting ready for the big year ahead!)
Otherwise there has been only scant
attention paid to the law requiring that the President consult with Congress
over the numbers.
Now here we see that the outgoing
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Bob Goodlatte, wants his
consultation.
Heck, maybe the Administration can give him a
consultation next month, or in November, and hold up the whole darn thing with
zero coming in in the interim!
From The
Hill: Goodlatte:
Administration undercut law, Congress by setting refugee cap - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) on Thursday accused the State
Department of defying the law by proposing a sharp reduction in refugees to the
United States.
The charge marks a rare rebuke of the
administration from Goodlatte, who wants officials to consult “immediately”
with Congress before establishing a final cap on refugees to be accepted into
the country next year.
“The
law is clear: the Administration must consult with Congress prior to the
President’s determination of the annual refugee ceiling,” Goodlatte said in a
statement. “But this did not happen this year, and the Trump Administration has
no excuse for not complying with their obligation under the law.”
Democrats have pounced on the cutbacks,
warning that the administration is undermining the country’s historic role and
international credibility as the world’s safe-harbor for threatened populations
and a champion of human rights.
Republican critics have focused less on
the figures than on the legality of the administration’s move to establish a
cap without first seeking input from Congress. Earlier this week, Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
condemned the administration’s unilateral move.
Goodlatte took that criticism a step further,
suggesting no refugee cap can be legally established without Congress weighing
in first. “There
is a real question as to whether the President can even set a number of
refugees that carries the weight of law unless it is done after an appropriate
consultation with Congress,” Goodlatte said.
He’s also calling for reforms that would
empower Congress, not the administration, to have the ultimate say in
determining that annual number.
By the way, Goodlatte has been
responsible for this committee and the refugee program for years and never
really pushed for serious reform of the Refugee Act of 1980.
Oh yeh, he proposed some legislation, but never made it a priority.
Now we see that in response, the State
Department is saying there is wiggle room in that 30,000 cap. The Hill story
continues….On Tuesday, the day after Pompeo’s
announcement, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the
administration plans to consult with Congress before finalizing its refugee
ceiling. The cap “may” change, she said, based on those talks.
Hey folks, don’t think this means the number
could go down!
Remember I
said it should be zero, which
would be the only leverage the White House would have to push a complete
overhaul of an ill-conceived US Refugee Admissions Program.
Where is Goodlatte’s hearing? Before
the President makes his final ‘determination’ a hearing “shall be held” in the
House and Senate Judiciary Committees!
So let’s have the full legal
requirements carried out which includes a public hearing by Goodlatte’s
committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee centered around a report the State
Department is supposed to send to Congress as part of the consultation process.
Let’s begin following the law now
and maybe the whole decision
can be dragged out for months.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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