In a memo to Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Bush has authorized the admission of up to 70,000 refugees for Fiscal Year 2004. The memo includes the regional allocation of the admission numbers.

The numbers by region are as follows:

Africa . . . . . . . . . . 25,000

East Asia . . . . . . . . . 6,500

Europe and Central Asia . . 13,000

Latin America/Caribbean . . 3,500

Near East/South Asia . . . 2,000

Unallocated Reserve . . . . 20,000

The Department of Homeland Security has come under fire because though this past year 70,000 slots were also allocated, only 28,000 refugees were actually admitted, a fraction of the number admitted in recent years. Refugee advocates are urging Congress and the Administration to press DHS to use its resources to ensure that the US fulfills its commitments to process refugee cases.