Overview

• State Department documents and a spokesperson confirm a UN General Assembly side event to promote a first‑country asylum rule, temporary protection, and host‑state authority over returns.
• Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is slated to lead the event, according to internal planning materials.
• The proposals would depart from the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, which the U.S. cannot alter unilaterally and which show little sign of broad international backing.
• Internal PRM notes quote Spencer Chretien saying the administration aims to “build a new framework” and prioritize resettling white South Africans after staff cuts and a bureau refocus.
• Officials have discussed a FY2026 refugee ceiling between 40,000 and 60,000 with a heavy emphasis on Afrikaners, while critics such as HIAS’s Mark Hetfield warn the move would erode long‑standing protections.