New Delhi, Jan. 27 -- The first refugee to lead the U.N. refugee agency said Monday the world faces "a very difficult moment in history" and is appealing to a common humanity amid dramatic change.

Repression of immigrants is growing, and the funding to protect them is plummeting. Without ever mentioning the Trump administration or its policies directly, Barham Salih in an interview with The Associated Press said his office will have to be inventive to confront the crisis, which includes losing well over $1 billion in U.S. support.

"Of course it's a fight, undeniably so, but I think also I'm hopeful and confident that there is enough humanity out there to really enable us to do that," said Salih, a former president of Iraq.

He also was ...