A coalition of evangelical leaders is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to raise the refugee ceiling, expressing concern over limits at a time when the global refugee crisis is growing.

Leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Sam Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. 

The evangelicals are worried about the impact of recent changes in the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Over the past year, while the world’s refugee population grew, the number admitted to the U.S. decreased from 36,000 in the first half of 2016 to less than 11,000 the first six months of this year.

“Those declines have been most stark for persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, many of whom have endured a genocide at the (hands of) the Islamic State,” the letter said.

The letter asks the three to recommend to Trump that the refugee ceiling be raised to 75,000 for fiscal 2019. Among the signers were Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; and Samuel Rodríguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.