Report Finds America Is Admitting Far Fewer Christian Refugees

Although the United States has historically been a refuge for Christians experiencing persecution by foreign governments around the world, that trend has reportedly been on the decline in recent years. 

According to a joint report compiled by the organizations Open Doors and World Relief, there were 32,248 Christians admitted into the U.S. from nations hostile to the faith in 2016. By 2022, that number had dropped to just 9,528.

The report focused on several nations that experienced a decline even steeper than the overall 70% drop over the past five years. While 7,634 Christian refugees were admitted into the U.S. from Myanmar in 2016, just 587 entered the country last year.

Similar declines were seen with respect to Iran, where the number dropped from 2,086 to 112, Iraq, which dropped from 1,524 to 93 and Eritrea, with a decline from 1,639 to 252 over the same period. 

Open Doors made it clear that the decline should not be seen as evidence that Christian persecution around the world is on the decline. In fact, it has been on the upswing over the past several years. 

This year, an estimated 360 million Christians worldwide are experiencing “high levels of discrimination and persecution,” compared to 260 million in 2020. 

Much of that increase can be found in sub-Saharan African nations, the report determined, adding: “The tragic reality is that many areas of the world simply aren’t safe for Christians, and Christians fleeing persecution need a safe haven in the United State.”

Although the Biden administration statutorily increased the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S. to 125,000 per year, the total number so far this year is less than half of that amount.

One mildly encouraging point contained in the report is that last year’s total number of Christian refugees admitted into the U.S. was higher than at least one of the past five years. In 2020, which was beset by pandemic-related complications, just 5,390 persecuted Christians were resettled. 

Nevertheless, the recent report concluded that much more needs to be done in order to provide a safe haven for Christians and other persecuted people around the world.

“As Christians, we believe that all people have the right to religious freedom and that religious minorities of any sort — not just those who share our Christian faith — should be protected,” the organizations asserted.