Overview
- An official Federal Register notice dated Oct. 30 sets the FY2026 refugee ceiling at 7,500, the lowest since the program began in 1980.
- The notice states admissions will go primarily to white South African Afrikaners and to others deemed victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their home countries.
- South Africa rejects assertions that Afrikaners face state‑sponsored persecution, disputing the rationale for their prioritization.
- Human-rights groups and resettlement agencies say the policy politicizes a humanitarian program and warn applicants from war zones, especially Afghans, will be largely excluded.
- The sharp reduction reverses the prior 125,000 ceiling under President Biden and follows an earlier executive order that paused refugee admissions on security grounds.