Has Trump Kept His Promise to Christian Refugees? A Look at the Numbers

WASHINGTON -- Numbers from the State Department show that while President Donald Trump's administration admitted fewer refugees than the previous administration, it admitted a higher percentage of Christian refugees.

Last year, more than 53 percent of refugees allowed into the U.S. were Christian, 32 percent were Muslim, and about 9 percent were Buddhist and Hindu.

Under President Obama in 2016, 45 percent of refugees admitted were Muslim, 41 percent were Christian, about five percent were Buddhist and Hindu.

Under Trump, admissions of refugees dropped dramatically by 70 percent, but one expert tells CBN News that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"I think it's a good thing that we're pausing, that we are reassessing and reforming," said Dr. Nayla Rush, a senior researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies.

"They are starting to say we need look at what's happening with integration. Do they need more help? Do they need more assistance?" she continued.

Seven days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order calling on his administration to "prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality."

The top five countries of origin of the refugees accepted by the Trump administration in 2017 were Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Ukraine and Somalia.

Refugees accepted as part of the refugee resettlement program often end up becoming U.S. citizens.

Dr. Rush says instead of focusing on the number of refugees being accepted, the U.S. should concentrate on the quality of the resettlement and whether or not the refugee is capably of assimilating into U.S. culture.

"You don't want to just bring people here and just leave them be. If you make sure you're vetting better, but you bring in less," she explained "If you make sure that you're bringing less but you're helping better, I think that's really the beginning of a good resettlement - improving the resettlement program."

She also says major reforms need to be made to the United Nations program that makes refugee referrals to the U.S. and other countries.

Dr. Rush came to the U.S., not as a refugee, but as an immigrant from Lebanon. Now a U.S. citizen, she says she understands the challenges that come with adapting to a new environment and culture.

"I think President Trump is on the right course to help refugees better because the whole system needs to be reassessed," she said.