Jared Kushner Image by Getty Images

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said it “doesn’t make a difference” whether the number of refugees allowed to enter the United States has been significantly lowered by President Trump.

Kushner, whose grandparents arrived in the country after fleeing the Holocaust, shared his views on immigration with “Axios on HBO” on Sunday.

He said his family’s survival from “the precipice of life and death” showed “how great this country is.” But he followed that with a caveat — when it comes to the hundreds of thousand of refugees seeking entry, “You can’t have all of them come into your country.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Kushner said he supported Trump, his father-in-law, in his decision to further slash the cap on refugees. The number is now the lowest its been in 40 years, Axios reported.

“I think the amount of money you can spend to help refugees to resettle in their countries and deal with aid is very impactful,” Kushner answered.

The White House’s current budget proposal calls for a 90% cut to the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, which handles refugee issues.

Last year, in an effort to change the asylum policies, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the immigration organization that helped Kushner’s grandparents settle into the U.S., tried to share with Kushner his grandparents’ immigration files. The organization’s CEO said that Kushner never got back to them.

Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount