The US has decided to curtail the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States next year to 45,000, half of the cap in 2016. A US government official told reporters during a conference call yesterday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will brief the Congress on this.<br/><br/>A presidential determination is expected to be issued in the coming days. The regional breakdown will be: Africa, 19,000; East Asia, 5,000; Europe and Central Asia, 2,000; Latin America and the Caribbean, 1,500; Near East South Asia, 17,000.<br/><br/>The official said the security and safety of the American people is the chief concern. Since 1975, the United States has welcomed more than 3 million refugees from all over the world for the refugee admission programme.<br/><br/><br/>