The Trump administration has unveiled a plan to dramatically slash the number of refugees allowed into the United States for fiscal year 2026 to a historic low of 7,500, while explicitly prioritizing certain European-descended groups.
This unprecedented cap represents a significant reduction from the 100,000 refugees authorized under former President Joe Biden’s administration for fiscal year 2024. White House documents, released Thursday, detailed the new policy.
The annual refugee determination document, dated September 30, specifically stated a focus on European-descended South Africans, known as Afrikaners. President Trump has claimed Afrikaners face racial persecution in their majority-black country, a charge denied by the South African government.
Upon taking office in January, Trump suspended all refugee admissions, asserting that restarts would occur only when “in the best interest of the U.S.” Weeks later, his administration initiated efforts to admit Afrikaners, drawing criticism from refugee advocacy groups. A Reuters report indicated that only 138 South Africans had entered the U.S. by early September.
The newly released document also noted consideration for “victims of unlawful or unjust discrimination in their homeland.” Internal U.S. government documents from April had previously suggested a focus on Europeans targeted for expressing views such as anti-mass migration or support for populist political parties, though these groups were not explicitly named in the public plan.
U.S. law mandates executive consultation with Congress before setting refugee numbers. Democratic lawmakers, however, stated on September 30 that these required discussions never took place.
Representative Jamie Raskin, Senator Dick Durbin, and other Democratic legislators condemned Trump’s low refugee cap. They labeled the policy “not only morally indefensible, but also illegal and void.”
A senior Trump administration official attributed the delay in consultations to a government shutdown that began October 1. The official stated no refugees would be admitted until the necessary consultations occurred.
This domestic policy shift aligns with a broader international push by the Trump administration. During the United Nations General Assembly in September, senior officials urged other nations to join a global campaign to reduce refugee protection. This initiative signals a major effort to reshape the post-World War II framework for international migration.