CHARLOTTE -- The number of refugees who have come to Charlotte in 2017 is at the lowest point in years.
Refugees from several countries, including Syria, weren't allowed to resettle in the U.S. for part of the year because of President Trump's executive order. Now they are only allowed in on a case-by-case basis due to "extreme vetting."
Carolinas Refugee Resettlement says it's resettled 159 people through the end of October, the lowest number since it started in the mid 1990s.
Catholic Charities resettled 292 refugees, around half of last year's numbers.
But the impact can already be seen in where refugees are coming from. Catholic Charities say 18 percent of its refugees are from the Ukraine, 15 percent are from Burma, 13 percent are from Bhutan, 11 percent from Somalia, and Syria is fifth on the list with just 8 percent. And all of the Syrian refugees came at the start of the year.
Catholic Charities released the following information showing what percentage of refugees came from which countries:
AFGHANISTAN |
12 |
5% |
BELARUS |
2 |
1% |
BHUTAN |
32 |
13% |
BURMA |
39 |
15% |
DEM.REP.CONGO-KINSHASA |
12 |
5% |
EL SALVADOR |
4 |
2% |
ERITREA |
11 |
4% |
ETHIOPIA |
4 |
2% |
HONDURAS |
1 |
0% |
IRAN |
5 |
2% |
IRAQ |
7 |
3% |
KAZAKHSTAN |
5 |
2% |
LATVIA |
3 |
1% |
MOLDOVA |
9 |
4% |
RUSSIA |
11 |
4% |
SOMALIA |
28 |
11% |
SUDAN |
2 |
1% |
SYRIA |
21 |
8% |
UKRAINE |
47 |
18% |
255 |
In September, President Trump capped refugee admissions at 45,000 for the fiscal year. That's down from 110,000 put in place last year by former President Barack Obama.
Refugee Support Services says it's looking for volunteers to help refugees in Charlotte.