Middle East Refugees to Begin Arriving to U.S. from Australia

The first group of 1,250 mostly male Middle Eastern refugees is expected to soon arrive in the United States from Australia. The transfer of refugees comes after President Trump failed to shutter an Obama-era deal that could bring tens of thousands of the refugees’ family members to the U.S. in years to come.

President Barack Obama signed the Australian-U.S. refugee deal during his last months in office — promising to take 1,250 Middle Eastern refugees off Australia’s hands.

The refugees are being held in detention centers on Manus Island and Nauru Island. Despite Trump’s original statement calling the deal “a dumb deal,” the president has now broken two long-promised campaign pledges: Throwing out deals that don’t benefit Americans and stopping the flow of foreign refugees.

According to NPR, roughly 50 foreign refugees are now on their way to the U.S. The other 1,200 are expected to follow soon after.

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