In a press release published on Wednesday, Senators Patrick Leahy and Kamala Harris, who is also running in the 2020 Democratic presidential race, called on the Trump administration to hold a briefing on the “potentially devastating consequences” of the lowered refugee cap.

Under the new limit, the government plans to admit a record-low maximum of 18,000 refugees into the country under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in fiscal year 2020, which began at the start of last month.

However, Leahy pointed out on Twitter, the refugee cap may be “even LOWER than it appears.”

This is because, he explained, the Trump administration has already reserved thousands of spaces, including 7,500 for “other” refugees.

Included in those 7,500 “other” refugees, Leahy asserted, are as many as 5,500 refugees who were already ready for departure to the U.S. in fiscal year 2019, “but never arrived [because] the cap was too low.”

“Now, they’re being counted against EVEN LOWER FY20 cap,” Leahy claimed, adding: “We need this briefing ASAP.”

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and outgoing Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Harris and Leahy, also noted that the Trump administration had reserved 4,000 refugee slots for Iraqis who have supported the U.S. military, 1,500 slots for refugees from Central America and 5,000 placements for those persecuted over their religious beliefs.

However, the letter asserts, “refugee resettlement agencies have expressed that the allocations are likely untenable.”

“For example, although the administration has proposed that 4,000 refugee admissions be reserved for Iraqis that assisted the U.S. military, it does not appear to have accounted for the lengthy security check process that has prevented otherwise qualifying individuals from securing the necessary approvals to enter the United States,” it asserts.

“In fact, only 153 Iraqi refugees whose applications were deemed ‘high priority’ were admitted under USRAP during the previous fiscal year. Thousands more—many of whom risked their lives providing wartime assistance to our troops—wait in dangerous limbo because of these processing delays,” it states.

The letter also expresses deep concerns over the fact that the allocations “appear to exclude significant vulnerable populations in need of resettlement,” including unaccompanied refugee minors.

Urging the Trump administration to reconsider its cap, the letter states: “We are facing the most significant displacement and refugee crisis in modern history. Reaffirming our historic role as the world’s humanitarian leader in this moment is not just about promoting our values. It is about protecting our security interests.”

“The Trump administration’s sweeping, structural changes to our refugee admissions and resettlement process merit thorough deliberations between Congress and the Executive Branch—more than just a single meeting that checks the consultation box,” the letter says.

The Democratic committee members have requested an in-person briefing no later than November 21 so that they can “understand the potential consequences of the Trump administration’s decisions on a program that is so vital to our nation’s interests and identity.”