The U.S. is on track to not admit any refugees in October, following the cancellation of hundreds of flights intended to bring refugees to the country, CNN reported Tuesday.
Admissions had been slated to resume Tuesday after a temporary halt, but the extended pause will now continue until Saturday. The delay marks the third time this month that admissions have been postponed, according to CNN. Revised travel plans, including the re-booking of tickets for taxpayer-funded flights, will now be required.
{mosads}The initial pause on refugee admissions was set to expire Oct. 21 but was pushed back to Monday. A delay in arrivals usually occurs during the first week of October, a State Department spokesperson said in an email to The Hill.
The spokesperson said the department informed “our implementing partners” at the end of fiscal 2019 — Sept. 30 — that the typical delay would be extended.
“We will work with our implementing partners to plan for a resumption of refugee arrivals, including rescheduling travel for those affected by the extension,” the spokesperson said. “By law, no refugees may be admitted in any given fiscal year until the President signs and issues the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions.”
The delay comes after President Trump proposed the lowest admission rate — 18,000 refugees — since the program began in 1980.