President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly weighing a drastic cut to U.S. refugee admissions, with plans to accept as few as 7,500 people this year, most of them white South Africans, according to officials familiar with the proposal.
The move, if finalized, would mark an unprecedented low in America’s modern refugee policy and a sharp break from previous targets, including the Biden administration’s 125,000-admission goal last year. Rights advocates warn the plan would not only drastically shrink the number of people offered refuge but also prioritize one group over all others, sidelining tens of thousands of vetted refugees waiting for approval.
“This would be a monumental shift in U.S. refugee policy, not just in terms of reducing admissions, but also in terms of disproportionately privileging one group over every other,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. “Our concern is that this could turn what has long been a globally responsive humanitarian system into one that overwhelmingly favors a single group.”
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The refugee resettlement program, once supported by both parties, was suspended on Trump’s first day back in office. Since then, only limited numbers have entered, either through court-ordered admissions or under a special program Trump announced for white South African farmers, whom he claims face persecution in their home country. South Africa’s government has repeatedly rejected those claims.
White House officials, speaking anonymously, according to the Associated Press, said the refugee cap is still under review and cannot take effect until Congress is consulted, a step delayed by the ongoing government shutdown. During the shutdown, no new refugees will be admitted, though only a few have been allowed in recently due to the existing program freeze.
Advocates say about 128,000 refugees approved for resettlement remain stranded abroad, including 14,000 religious minorities in Iran awaiting U.S. entry. “How can a president who claims to support religious and American values turn his back on refugees who followed the rules, while moving white South Africans to the front of the line?” asked Mark Hetfield, president of the Jewish resettlement group HIAS.
Democratic lawmakers have condemned the administration’s failure to meet the September 30 deadline to notify Congress of the new refugee ceiling. In a letter, Sen. Richard Durbin, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and others accused the White House of “open defiance of the law,” warning that thousands of persecuted individuals are being left “in limbo.”
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The 7,500 figure represents a massive reduction from even the lowest projections refugee groups had anticipated, and, if enacted, would cement one of the most restrictive refugee policies in U.S. history.
