BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Due to the pandemic, global travel has been reduced to a minimum.

What You Need To Know

  • Fewer immigrants being allowed access to the U.S.

  • President Trump announced another reduction last week

  • A Bowling Green group says fewer immigrants, means fewer employees
Unable to receive refugees from March to August, the International Center of Kentucky says the current administration has also contributed to the low numbers seen for the 2020 fiscal year. 

Ending September 30, the Associated Press said that America only welcomed 10,800 refugees, before the program was suspended due to the virus, coming in at just over half of the 18,000 maximum set by the Trump Administration. 

According to the Associated Press, President Trump proposed, just last week, to slash that number by 16.5 percent for the 2021 fiscal year, reducing the number to 15,000 immigrants. The 18,000 cap was the lowest in the history of the program, and with elections less than a month away, Executive Director of the International Center of Kentucky, Albert Mbanfu, says that if the Trump administration is afforded another 4 years, then the center could be in trouble. 

“If the administration remains in power and they keep on slashing the numbers, so we can not say for sure what would happen, but if what has happened over the past three years is something to go by, then we are in for a very rough ride,” says Mbanfu. 

The Center saw a significant drop in refugees that came to Bowling Green this past fiscal year. In 2020 they reported almost 450 people coming to Bowling Green to seek refuge, but this year they reported less than 160, with around 50 refugees relocating after the borders were opened back up in August. Mbanfu says many refugees come to Bowling Green under family-based immigration, meaning they can live with a family member or relative, that is a citizen of the United States. Once refugees arrive in Bowling Green, the International Center of Kentucky helps to connect them with housing and job opportunities. Mbanfu says many immigrants help stimulate Bowling Green’s economy by starting businesses and creating jobs. Many local companies also look to the center to hire help, but due to the decline in numbers, Mbanfu says they’ve come up empty on many occasions. “As of now we have requests from so many companies seeking to hire our clients, but unfortunately we don’t have them because of the low number that came in this fiscal year,” says Mbanfu. 

Refugees come to the states hoping to escape chaos created by war, genocide, man-made, or natural disasters. Bowling Green has welcomed immigrants from countries all over the world such as Iraq, Bosnia, Burma, Ethiopia, and a slew of other nations. Mbanfu says this country was made on the idea of immigration, and he hopes that the United States will continue providing a place for a second chance. 

“Whatever people say about the United State, this country still remains a beacon of hope for many people around the world,” says Mbanfu.