Overview
- The Federal Register notice formalizes a 7,500 admissions ceiling for fiscal 2026, a steep drop from the 125,000 cap under President Biden and the lowest on record.
- Allocations will be primarily for white South Africans from the Afrikaner minority, with remaining slots for “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination,” according to the filing.
- The administration said the limit is “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest,” without offering a detailed rationale.
- The notice outlines transferring oversight of initial refugee resettlement grants from the State Department to HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement.
- South Africa rejects U.S. claims that white citizens face persecution, while refugee groups report layoffs, warn vetted refugees remain stranded, and pursue legal challenges to the broader suspension and cuts.