US to announce resettlement plans for Australian-held refugees

The United Sates will soon tell dozens of Australian-held refugees whether they will be offered resettlement in America, fulfilling part of a deal made by former President Barack Obama last year to resettle 1,250 asylum-seekers.

According to a report by Reuters on Friday, the announcement is expected to come within six weeks. 

President Trump has previously called the resettlement a “dumb deal” for America, raising tensions with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over whether the president would honor Obama’s agreement.

{mosads}

Trump ultimately agreed to the resettlement on the condition that all of the refugees would undergo thorough background vetting. Australia, in exchange, has agreed to settle Central American refugees from a center in Costa Rica.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly visited the refugees, currently being held on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, this past week. During the trip, 70 men who had already undergone “extreme vetting” were given medical screenings.

It is unclear how many of the 70 men vetted will be accepted into the U.S. It also remains unknown what will happen to the 200 men on the island who have been classified as non-refugees.

The Australian government has offered $25,000 to any refugees willing to return to their countries of origin, including Myanmar, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which Reuters reports few have accepted.