This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh is an active member.
According to reports, the Trump administration plans to cut refugee admissions to a record low in fiscal year 2026 and prioritize relief for certain groups like white Afrikaners from South Africa whom it deems face “unjust discrimination.” The cap of 125,000 set under the Biden administration in 2024 is expected to be lowered to 7,500.
This plan follows other Trump administration actions to prevent many refugees from coming to or resettling in the United States, or obtaining asylum. Mark Hetfield, who is president of HIAS, a Jewish resettlement agency, said that such a low refugee ceiling “would break America’s promise to people who played by the rules. Trump isn’t just putting the Afrikaners to the front of the line. He is kicking years-long-waiting refugees out of the line.” HIAS has had to lay off more than half of its staff since the Trump administration cut funding for the refugee program.
