The Trump administration has drastically reduced the US refugee admission limit to 7,500 for FY 2026, focusing largely on white South Africans. The policy has raised concerns over America’s shifting humanitarian priorities and its global image as a safe haven for refugees.
In a major policy reversal, the Trump administration has announced that the United States will admit only 7,500 refugees in the upcoming fiscal year. What makes the move even more striking is that the majority of these admissions will reportedly be white South Africans, signalling a stark departure from past refugee programmes that prioritised victims of war and persecution from across the world.
The announcement was made through a notice on the Federal Register on Thursday. The administration did not offer any explanation for the drastic reduction, which marks a significant decline from the 125,000 ceiling set during the Biden administration. The memo merely stated that the new limit of 7,500 refugees for the 2026 fiscal year was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
US to resettle 6,000 white South Africans by year-end
The Department of Homeland Security has set a target to resettle 6,000 white South Africans by the end of November. A senior administration official said, “This decision has been made keeping in mind national security and cultural integration. The white community of South Africa aligns well with American values and can assimilate quickly into society.”ย However, human rights organisation Human Rights Watch condemned the statement, calling it racist. The group said, “This transforms the refugee programme from one that helps the worldโs most vulnerable people into a racially selective process.”
Sharp fall from earlier refugee limits
During Trump’s first term (2017โ2021), the refugee ceiling had already been reduced from 110,000 to 15,000. The new limit of 7,500 is 50 per cent lower than that. This decision comes amid a global refugee crisis, with over 12 million people displaced in 2025, mostly from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, according to the United Nations. Experts estimate that under the new policy, only 5,000-6,000 refugees will actually be admitted, of whom nearly 80 per cent will be white South Africans.
Criticism mounts over refugee policy
The decision has sparked widespread outrage among human rights groups and opposition leaders, who have accused the Trump government of racial bias and undermining global humanitarian commitments. Critics argue that the move aims to reshape the US refugee programme along racial lines. The decision also extends the “Mission South Africa” initiative launched in February 2025, which focuses on prioritising English-speaking white South Africans for resettlement in the United States.
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