RCUSA Condemns Historically Low FY 2026 Refugee Admissions Goal and Abandonment of Refugees Most At Risk

Washington, D.C. — Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) is outraged by the White House’s Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 (PD), which sets the refugee admissions goal at a devastatingly low 7,500 – the lowest ever set in the 45-year history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The PD is set for publication in the Federal Register on October 31st – violating statutory obligations to consult with Congress before its issuance. The Trump administration’s ongoing prioritization of white South Africans (Afrikaners) and “victims of illegal or unjust discrimination,” which reportedly would include European members of far-right political parties like Alternative for Germany, at the expense of the most at-risk refugees is dangerous, discriminatory, and shameful. This decision is not only a moral failure; it is a deliberate abandonment of our nation’s legal obligations and humanitarian commitments. 

At a time when the world faces the largest displacement crisis in recorded history with over 123 million people forcibly displaced, this administration’s decision is a catastrophic retreat from historical American leadership and humanitarian values. Since January 20th, the Trump administration has dismantled our nation’s capacity to welcome – and corrupted humanitarian protection programs for – refugees and newcomers, piece by piece, despite widespread local community and bipartisan support for the U.S. resettlement program. Equally alarming is the administration’s explicit focus on prioritizing resettlement for Afrikaners, many of whom have only recently sought protection and were fast-tracked ahead – and instead – of more than 120,000 refugees who had already been conditionally approved for resettlement as of January 20th, yet whose resettlement was abruptly halted by the refugee ban. The PD specifically refers to the refugee ban executive order, which suspended the U.S. resettlement program since January 20th and is currently the subject of ongoing litigation in Pacito v. Trump.  

RCUSA urges our national, state, and local leaders to take a stand and pressure the Trump administration to fully restore the U.S. resettlement program, increase the admissions goal to 125,000, and resettle the most at-risk. We also call on Congress to maintain critical investments in refugee processing, admissions, and resettlement services like healthcare, nutrition assistance, and education so newly arriving families can rebuild their lives.

“At every turn, the Trump administration has betrayed our nation’s promise as a beacon of refuge for the persecuted,” said John Slocum, Executive Director of Refugee Council USA. “Since day one, it has chipped away at the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, ignoring our allies, defying U.S. law, and now blocking refugees who have completed years of vetting from resettling to permanent safety. Instead, they are prioritizing Afrikaners, many of whom only recently entered the process, over Syrian and Sudanese families fleeing brutal regimes and war zones, Congolese and Eritrean survivors of rape and ethnic violence, and Afghan allies promised safety after risking their lives alongside U.S. forces. This is a fundamental distortion of the program’s mission and an assault on basic humanitarian principles.”

RCUSA’s previous statements on the President’s defiance of U.S. law and our moral obligations are available here and here.

Media Contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

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