The Trump administration has announced a cap of 7,500 refugee admissions for fiscal year 2026, the lowest in U.S. history since the Refugee Act of 1980.
This marks a sharp reduction from the 125,000 slots set by former President Joe Biden.
The decision, detailed in a Federal Register notice dated September 30 but published on Thursday, directs most of these slots primarily to Afrikaner South Africans and other victims of what the administration describes as illegal or unjust discrimination in their homelands.
No specific rationale beyond humanitarian concerns and national interest was provided for the cut.
The move builds on an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office, suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to prioritize national security, public safety, and resource availability for Americans.
This cap surpasses the previous low of 15,000 set during Trump's first term in 2020.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners — descendants of early Dutch and French settlers — face persecution in the Black-majority nation.
These assertions include allegations of targeted killings of white farmers, highlighted during a tense May Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
There, Trump presented a video purportedly showing burial sites for murdered white farmers, though it later surfaced as footage from a 2020 protest memorializing deaths over multiple years.
The South African government has firmly denied any racial persecution of Afrikaners or other white citizens.
Recent crime data from October to December 2024 recorded 7,000 murders nationwide, with only 12 linked to farm attacks; among those, just one victim was a farmer, while others included likely Black farm dwellers and employees.
Earlier this year, Ramaphosa enacted a law permitting land expropriation without compensation in certain cases, fueling international debate.
In response, Trump suspended U.S. aid to South Africa in February via Executive Order 14204, citing disregard for Afrikaners' rights and offering them refugee pathways.
The first group of 60 Afrikaners arrived as asylees shortly before the May summit, followed by the inaugural flight of admitted refugees in the same month.
South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after criticizing Trump's approach as mobilizing supremacism and projecting white victimhood.
Ramaphosa, during their meeting, expressed hope that U.S. officials would heed South African perspectives and suggested disbelief clouded Trump's views.
The policy has drawn sharp rebukes from immigration and refugee organizations.
Global Refuge President Krish O'Mara Vignarajah stated:
This decision doesn't just lower the refugee admissions ceiling. It lowers our moral standing.
She further noted that concentrating admissions on one group at a time of crises in Afghanistan, Venezuela, Sudan, and elsewhere undermines the program's purpose and credibility.
The International Refugee Assistance Project accused the administration of bypassing required congressional consultations, calling it an abandonment of responsibilities to displaced people worldwide.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council highlighted a shift in refugee definitions, from those fleeing persecution based on race, religion, or politics to broader discrimination claims, labeling it a downfall for a key U.S. humanitarian program.
Advocates argue the cap effectively closes doors to millions globally, including former U.S. allies from Afghanistan and the Middle East, amid 42.7 million refugees worldwide per UNHCR data.
Additionally, the administration plans to consolidate refugee services under the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement for enhanced oversight.
The South African government has not yet commented on the latest cap announcement.