The Clinton administration has announced it refugee admissions numbers for Fiscal Year 1998 which began on October 1, 1997. An earlier proposal would have only allocated 78,000 slots. The increase of 5,000 slots has been entirely allocated toward Europe. The refugee slots are allocated as follows:
Africa – 7,000
East Europe – 14,000
Europe – 51,000
Latin America/Caribbean – 4,000
Near East/South Asia – 4,000
Unallocated – 3,000
No explanation for the increase was offered, but the increase in numbers for Europe should address recent criticisms by Jewish organizations over cuts in the number of slot available to Jews and Evangelical Christians from the former Soviet Union.
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