Trump Administration Drastically Cuts Refugee Admissions,Prioritizes South Africans
WASHINGTON D.C. - Teh Trump administration announced Thursday a significant reduction in the number of refugees the United States will accept in the next fiscal year, capping admissions at 7,500 – a steep decline from the 125,000 set by the Biden administration. The move prioritizes refugee claims from Afrikaner South Africans and others facing “illegal or unjust discrimination” in their homelands.
The decision, detailed in a notice published in the Federal Register, comes after President Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 suspending the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), citing national security and public safety concerns. The administration stated the lowered cap is “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest,” but offered no further description.
The policy specifically allocates admissions “primarily” to Afrikaner South Africans.This follows a May meeting in the Oval Office where President Trump criticized South African President Cyril Ramaphosa,claiming white farmers in South Africa were being killed and “persecuted.” During the meeting, the White House presented a video purporting to show burial sites of murdered white farmers, though President Trump admitted he did not know the location where the footage was filmed.
The administration’s focus on South African farmers has already drawn criticism. The US recently granted asylum to 60 Afrikaners, and the videos shown during the Oval Office meeting were later revealed to depict a 2020 protest where crosses represented farmers killed over several years.
Refugee advocacy groups have condemned the decision, arguing it effectively closes the door to other vulnerable populations. “This decision doesn’t just lower the refugee admissions ceiling,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, CEO and president of Global Refuge. “It lowers our moral standing.” She added that prioritizing one group at a time of global crises in countries like Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Sudan “undermines the programme’s purpose as well as its credibility.”
On his first day in office, January 20th, President Trump stated the USRAP suspension was necessary due to the country’s “lack of ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans” and to “protects their safety and security.”
The South African government has not yet issued a response to the declaration. During the May meeting, President Ramaphosa expressed hope that Trump officials would listen to South Africans regarding the issue, and later remarked he believed President Trump harbored “doubt and disbelief about all this in [his] head.”
