More than three times as many Christian refugees as Muslim refugees have been admitted into the U.S. so far this fiscal year, a stark difference from past years’ data, according to a study released this week.
In the first half of fiscal 2018, only 1,800, or 17 percent, of the 10,500 refugees entering the U.S. have been Muslim, compared to 6,700 Christians (63 percent), according to a Pew Research Center analysis of State Department data.
{mosads}The data show that the number of Muslim refugees has shrunk more than any other religious group in the first fiscal year fully under the Trump administration.
At this point last fiscal year, 47 percent of the 39,100 total refugees admitted were Christian, compared to 43 percent Muslim. Those proportions held for the entirety of fiscal 2017, which ended in September.
The number of Muslim refugees peaked in fiscal 2016 due to the unrest related to Syria’s civil war, surpassing the number of Christian refugees admitted that year, according to Pew. The number of Muslim refugees was the lowest in fiscal 2002 due to refugee restrictions put in place after 9/11.
President Trump’s immigration policies, including his travel ban affecting several Muslim-majority countries, have likely affected the demographics of refugees seeking admission to the country.
None of the top five refugee origin nations this fiscal year are majority-Muslim.
Trump has set the lowest refugee cap in history, limiting the number of refugees entering the U.S. to 45,000. Last fiscal year, a total of 53,700 refugees were admitted.
He also said earlier this year that his administration would prioritize the resettlement of Christian refugees over those from other religions.