U.S. Sets 7,500 Refugee Cap, Prioritizes Afrikaners

The Trump administration set the U.S. refugee admissions cap for fiscal year 2026 at 7,500 in a Federal Register memo published Oct. 30 — the lowest ceiling on record and a steep drop from the 125,000 cap set under President Biden. The memo directs that admissions be “primarily allocated” to Afrikaners (white South Africans) and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination,” and an initial group of Afrikaners was resettled in May. The plan shifts primary oversight for resettlement toward the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement rather than the State Department. South Africa’s government rejects that Afrikaners face systemic persecution, and the administration’s claims of a so‑called “white genocide” there have been widely disputed. Refugee advocates, Democratic lawmakers and rights groups say the move politicizes a humanitarian program, could be unlawful, and harms vetted refugees from conflict zones awaiting resettlement, and legal challenges are expected. The decision is part of broader Trump administration efforts to reshape U.S. refugee policy and has prompted international controversy.