Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping reduction in the number of refugees who will be admitted to the United States next year, setting the cap at just 7,500 and signaling that the majority of those accepted will be white South Africans. The decision marks a dramatic reversal of decades of U.S. refugee policy and effectively ends America’s long-standing role as a leading haven for people fleeing war, persecution, and political turmoil.
The new cap published Thursday in the Federal Register represents a staggering drop from the 125,000 admissions authorized under the Biden administration for the previous fiscal year. The notice provided no detailed rationale for the change, stating only that the 7,500 limit was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
A Sharp Shift in Refugee Policy
President Donald Trump’s executive order earlier this year suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), citing national security and “the need to prioritize the safety and resources of American citizens.” The new order effectively codifies that suspension by slashing refugee admissions to the lowest level in U.S. history.
The notice also revealed that the limited number of available slots would be “primarily” allocated to Afrikaner South Africans and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” Afrikaners, mostly white descendants of Dutch and French settlers, have been the focus of repeated claims by Trump and his allies that they face persecution in post-apartheid South Africa—claims the South African government and human rights observers have firmly denied.
Political and Diplomatic Fallout
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have escalated sharply over the issue. Earlier this year, Trump expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, after Rasool accused the administration of “mobilizing a supremacist narrative” and “projecting white victimhood as a dog whistle.”
In May, during a tense Oval Office meeting, Trump reportedly confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, asserting that white farmers were being “killed and persecuted.” The White House played a video it claimed depicted burial sites of murdered white farmers. It was later revealed, however, that the footage came from a 2020 protest where the crosses symbolized farm-related deaths over several years, not recent mass killings.
The U.S. had already granted asylum to about 60 Afrikaners earlier this year, deepening diplomatic strains. South Africa’s government has consistently rejected the notion that white citizens face organized or state-sanctioned persecution, pointing instead to the country’s broader struggles with violent crime that affects people of all races.
“Whatever hardships some Afrikaners may face, this population has no plausible claim on refugee status—they are not fleeing systematic persecution,” Refugees International said in a statement condemning the U.S. decision.
Backlash from Refugee Advocates
Humanitarian organizations have denounced the administration’s move as discriminatory and damaging to America’s reputation as a global leader in refugee protection.
“This decision doesn’t just lower the refugee admissions ceiling it lowers our moral standing,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. “At a time of crisis in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Venezuela to Sudan, concentrating the vast majority of admissions on one group undermines both the purpose and the credibility of the refugee program.”
Refugees International described the decision as “a mockery of refugee protection and of American values.” Advocacy groups have also expressed concern that the policy effectively shuts the door to other populations with legitimate claims to asylum, including Afghans who assisted U.S. forces, Syrians displaced by war, and political dissidents from authoritarian regimes.
A Return to Restrictive Immigration Policies
The 7,500 cap marks the lowest refugee ceiling in U.S. history, eclipsing even the 15,000 limit set during Trump’s first term in 2020. The administration has justified the reduction on economic and security grounds, arguing that the U.S. must “absorb migrants in a manner that does not compromise resources for Americans.”
Trump’s first days back in office in January were marked by sweeping immigration reversals, including a halt to several humanitarian programs and the suspension of key refugee aid initiatives. Critics argue that these moves collectively represent a retreat from America’s post–World War II commitments to international refugee protection.
Uncertain Future
As of Friday, the South African government had not formally responded to the latest announcement. President Ramaphosa, asked about the controversy during a press briefing earlier this year, said he hoped “the Trump administration would listen to South Africans about the reality of our country” and added that he believed there was “doubt and disbelief” in Trump’s understanding of the issue.
The new refugee ceiling is expected to go into effect at the start of the 2026 fiscal year, pending congressional review. If implemented as written, it will mark the most selective and racially defined refugee policy in modern U.S. history a decision that, for critics, symbolizes a fundamental departure from the nation’s humanitarian ideals.
