The Trump administration is preparing to set a refugee admissions cap of just 7,500 people for the current fiscal year — the lowest in US history — with priority given to white South Africans of Afrikaner descent, according to multiple sources familiar with the plan.

If finalized, the move would mark a drastic reduction from the 125,000 refugee admissions authorized last year under former President Joe Biden, underscoring President Donald Trump’s restrictive stance on immigration and humanitarian protection.

Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, had previously suspended refugee admissions pending a review of US national interests. In February, he issued an executive order giving priority to South Africa’s Afrikaner minority — descendants of Dutch settlers — claiming they face racial persecution and violence in their home country. South Africa’s government has rejected those allegations, calling them unfounded.

According to earlier reports, the first group of 59 Afrikaners arrived in the U.S. in May, with total arrivals reaching 138 by early September.

Neither the White House, State Department, nor the Department of Homeland Security has commented on the new refugee ceiling for the 2026 fiscal year, which began on October 1. The New York Times first reported the plan.

Refugee advocates have sharply criticized the proposal. John Slocum, Executive Director of Refugee Council USA, said the limit would jeopardize people’s lives, separate families, and undermine our national security and economic growth.

Trump officials had earlier discussed setting the cap between 40,000 and 60,000, but the latest figure signals a more aggressive tightening of US refugee policy.

During a side event at the United Nations General Assembly last week, senior Trump administration officials also called on other nations to join a global campaign to roll back asylum protections, a move that would significantly reshape the international refugee system established after World War II.

If implemented, the new policy would not only redefine America’s role in global humanitarian response but also reinforce Trump’s long-standing “America First” approach — one that critics say threatens decades of US leadership in protecting displaced populations. (AriseNews TV)

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