The United States government says it will slash by almost half the number of refugees allowed into the country.

The US State Department on Friday said a record-low 18,000 migrants will be accepted under the government’s new refugee programme over the next 12 months.

The Department added that places will be reserved for Iraqis who helped the US military as well as members of persecuted religious minorities.

President Donald Trump has also signed an executive order allowing state and local governments to opt out of resettling refugees in their various communities.

The order would ensure ‘‘that refugees are resettled in communities that are eager and equipped to support their successful integration into American society and the labour force,” Trump said.

Trump has made reducing immigration a key aim of his administration. In 2017, he set the limit for refugees under the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) at 50,000, cutting it the next year to 45,000 and to 30,000 this year.

The lowest admission figure in recent years was after the 9/11 attacks in 2002 when about 27,000 refugees were allowed into the US.