Trump's State Dept. lifts limit on refugee admissions

The State Department quietly lifted its restriction this week on how many refugees are allowed to enter the U.S. despite efforts by the Trump administration to scale back refugee resettlements, The New York Times reported Friday.

Jennifer Smith, a department official, reportedly notified refugee groups of the decision Thursday in an email stating that they could begin bringing refugees to the U.S. “unconstrained by the weekly quotas that were in place.”

Many of the organizations that received the email are private agencies that help guide individuals hoping to enter the country through the two-year U.S. application process.

The number of refugees entering the U.S. could double as a result of the lifted restrictions, refugee advocates told the newspaper. The leap could go from 830 a week for the first three weeks of May to over 1,500 a week by next month.