Trump Administration Slashes US Refugee Admissions to 7,500 with Focus on South African Afrikaners

The Trump administration has announced on Thursday a significant reduction in the annual refugee acceptance rate for the United States, setting a new historical low of 7,500 refugees for fiscal year 2026.

Washington:

In a dramatic policy shift, the United States will drastically decrease its refugee acceptance numbers and prioritize white South Africans according to Thursday's announcement from the Trump administration.

The new policy will cap refugee admissions at just 7,500 individuals for fiscal 2026, representing a sharp decline from the more than 100,000 annual admissions under President Joe Biden's Democratic administration.

According to a White House memorandum, the majority of accepted refugees during the fiscal year beginning October 1 will be white South Africans and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands."

The memo specifically stated: "The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa."

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has effectively suspended refugee arrivals, with the notable exception of white South Africans, despite South African government assertions that they do not face persecution in their home country.

Approximately 50 Afrikaners – descendants of early European settlers in South Africa – arrived in the United States for resettlement in May, marking the first such group.

Trump's White House campaign featured promises to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, and he signed an executive order in January that suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted that more than two million people escaping persecution have found refuge in the United States through this program since 1980.

"Now it will be used as a pathway for White immigration," Reichlin-Melnick commented on X. "What a downfall for a crown jewel of America's international humanitarian programs."