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U.S. NEWS Friday 2 OctOber 2020
Trump plans to slash refugee admissions to U.S. to record low

JULIE WATSON and MAT- The U.S. allowed in just
THEW LEE over 10,800 refugees — a
Associated Press little more than half of the
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The 18,000 cap set by Trump
Trump administration has for 2020 — before the State
proposed further slashing Department suspended
the number of refugees the the program because of
United States accepts to a the coronavirus.
new record low in the com- The 18,000 cap was already
ing year. the lowest in the history of
In a notice sent to Con- the program. In addition,
gress late Wednesday, just the State Department an-
34 minutes before a statu- nounced last week that it
tory deadline to do so, would no longer provide
the administration said it some statistical information
intended to admit a maxi- on refugee resettlement,
mum of 15,000 refugees in sparking more concerns.
fiscal year 2021. That's 3,000 Advocates say the Trump
fewer than the 18,000 ceil- administration is disman-
ing the administration had tling a program that has
set for fiscal year 2020, long enjoyed bipartisan
which expired at midnight support and has been con-
Wednesday. sidered a model for pro-
The proposal will now be re- This Feb. 10, 2017, file photo, Abdisellam Hassen Ahmed, a Somali refugee who had been stuck in tecting the world's most
viewed by Congress, where limbo after President Donald Trump temporarily banned refugee entries, walks with his wife Nimo vulnerable people.
there are strong objections Hashi, and his 2-year-old daughter, Taslim, who he met for the first time after arriving at Salt Lake Scores of resettlement of-
to the cuts, but lawmakers City International Airport. fices have closed because
will be largely powerless to Associated Press of the drop in federal fund-
force changes. he said that — overwhelm- Secretary of State Mike U.S. Embassy. "Certainly so ing, which is tied to the
The more than 16.5% re- ing public resources, over- Pompeo said the adminis- long as President Trump is number of refugees placed
duction was announced crowding schools and inun- tration is committed to the in office, I can promise you in the U.S.
shortly after President Don- dating hospitals. You know country's history of leading this administration is deeply "We're talking about tens of
ald Trump vilified refugees that. It's already there. It's the world in providing a committed to that." millions of desperate fami-
as an unwanted burden at a disgrace what they've safe place for refugees. But advocates say the gov- lies with no place to go and
a campaign rally in Duluth, done to your state," Trump "We continue to be the sin- ernment's actions do not having no hope for protec-
Minnesota, where he as- told supporters. gle greatest contributor to show that. Since taking tion in the near term," said
sailed his opponent, former Trump froze refugee ad- the relief of humanitarian office, Trump has slashed Krish Vignarajah, president
Vice President Joe Biden. missions in March amid the crisis all around the world, the number of refugees al- of the Lutheran Immigra-
He claimed Biden wants to coronavirus pandemic, cit- and we will continue to do lowed into the country by tion and Refugee Service,
flood the state with foreign- ing a need to protect Amer- so," Pompeo told reporters more than 80%, reflecting a federally funded agen-
ers. ican jobs as fallout from the in Rome on the sidelines of his broader efforts to dras- cy charged with reset-
"Biden will turn Minnesota coronavirus crashed the a conference on religious tically reduce both legal tling refugees in the United
into a refugee camp, and economy. freedom organized by the and illegal immigration. States.q

Pacific Power utility sued over devastating Oregon wildfires

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — tiple fires that burned for utility parent company
Three Pacific Northwest across the state starting PacifiCorp, said the com-
law firms have filed a class on that date. The wildfires pany does not comment
action lawsuit against the destroyed several thou- on pending litigation. The
Pacific Power utility and its sand homes and killed nine Portland-based utility has
parent company, claiming people in Oregon and two previously said it doesn't
they failed to shut down in northern California. The know if its equipment
its power lines despite his- lawsuit alleged the high caused any fires.
torically high winds and ex- winds also toppled en- Fire officials have not yet
tremely dangerous wildfire ergized power lines that cited an official cause of
conditions. sparked some of the blazes. the fires. The Northwest In-
The lawsuit, filed in Mult- "Defendants' energized teragency Fire Coordina-
nomah County Circuit power lines ignited mas- tion Center that tracks and
Court, names Jeanyne sive, deadly and destruc- coordinates firefighting ef-
James and Robin Col- tive fires that raced down forts across the northwest-
bert as lead plaintiffs. The the canyons, igniting and ern states said in a report In this Sept. 11, 2020 file photo a trike stands near the burnt
remains of a building destroyed by a wildfire near the Lake
couple lost their home, destroying homes, busi- last month that downed Detroit Market in Detroit, Ore.
garage and cars in the nesses and schools," the power lines were respon- Associated Press
small community of Lyons, lawsuit said. "These fires sible for 13 separate fires
Oregon, to a wildfire that burned over hundreds of along a 30-mile (48-kilo- its transmission lines sparked PG&E's equipment has
raced through a canyon thousands of acres, de- meter) stretch of Oregon's the Camp fire in 2018. That been found to have set
last month, The Oregonian/ stroyed thousands of struc- Santiam Canyon. fire devastated the town of dozens of fires in recent
OregonLive reported Thurs- tures, killed people and up- California's largest utility, Paradise, destroying 11,000 years, and it faced $30 bil-
day. ended countless lives." Pacific Gas & Electric, filed homes and claiming 85 lion in claims before filing for
The blaze was one of mul- Drew Hanson, spokesman for bankruptcy after one of lives. bankruptcy protection.q