The Trump administration is planning to limit U.S. refugee admissions to just 7,500 people this fiscal year — the lowest in American history.
This cap is dramatically lower than the 125,000 allowed under President Biden’s last year. It also comes with a peculiar twist: priority will be given to white South Africans of Afrikaner descent.
Trump, back in office since January 2025, had earlier suspended refugee admissions while reviewing U.S. national interests. In February, he issued an executive order favouring Afrikaners, claiming they faced racial persecution and violence in their homeland.
South Africa’s government has strongly denied these claims, calling them politically motivated.
Already, about 138 Afrikaner refugees have arrived under this initiative. The first batch of 59 landed in May. The new cap, if enforced, will cut off pathways for refugees from war zones like Afghanistan, Sudan, and Ukraine — people who traditionally are the focus of U.S. resettlement programs.
Refugee groups are sounding the alarm. They warn this tiny ceiling could cost lives, separate families, and betray America’s role as a haven for the vulnerable.
Meanwhile, some insiders say earlier discussions considered ceilings of 40,000 to 60,000 before settling on 7,500.
On the international stage, U.S. officials have pushed other nations to rollback asylum protections in tandem. This would upend the post–World War II framework that gave the world a humanitarian obligation toward displaced people.
Beyond the numbers, this move redefines America’s posture toward global crisis. The focus on a minority group from South Africa, while closing doors on refugees from conflict zones, lays bare the “America First” doctrine in humanitarian garb.
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