US to Honour ‘dumb’ Australia Migrant Deal
1 min read
L-R: First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, wave goodbye to former President Barack Obama's helicopter as it departs from the US Capitol after Trump's inauguration ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
The United States has confirmed it will be going through with a migrant resettlement plan made with Australia.
US President Donald Trump once called the deal, which was agreed under his predecessor, “dumb”.
The agreement allows for up to 1,250 asylum seekers to Australia to resettle in the US.
The agreement would be honoured, but not necessarily admired, visiting Vice-President Mike Pence said after talks with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Pence was speaking at a joint press conference with Mr Turnbull.
Australia has controversially refused to accept the refugees, most of whom are men from Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq, and instead holds them in offshore detention centres on the Pacific nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
In the first two weeks of his presidency, Mr Trump said he had a bad phone call with Prime Minister Turnbull, when the Australian filled him in on the deal.
