Trump caps refugees entering US at 7,500, prioritising White South Africans
The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it was restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500, with most of the admissions designated for white South Africans. The dramatic drop effectively suspended America’s traditional role as a haven for those fleeing war and persecution. The move cemented a major shift…
The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it was restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500, with most of the admissions designated for white South Africans. The dramatic drop effectively suspended America’s traditional role as a haven for those fleeing war and persecution.
The move cemented a major shift in policy toward refugees that aligned with the Republican administration’s broader goals of keeping out foreigners whom it deems a risk to the nation’s security or a threat to US jobs. That shift has meant increased immigration enforcement, in cities and at borders and entry points, in what has become a vastly changed landscape in a country long seen as a beacon for migrants.
No reason was given for the new numbers, which were published in a notice on the Federal Register and were a steep decrease from last year’s ceiling of 125,000 set under Democratic President Joe Biden. Associated Press previously reported that the administration was considering admitting as few as 7,500 refugees and mostly white South Africans.
The notice said the admission of the 7,500 refugees during the 2026 budget year, which began October 1, was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest”. It made no mention of any other specific groups to be admitted besides the white South Africans, known also as Afrikaners.
“Other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands” will be considered as refugees, according to the notice, which gave no specifics on who that could entail.
