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Tell Congress: Ahead of FY27 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, Fight for Refugees Most At Risk

On September 23rd, senior Trump administration officials met with Congress to discuss the upcoming Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions (PD) for Fiscal Year 2027. The September 23rd meeting served as the consultations with Congress that must precede the issuance of the refugee admissions PD, mandated by the Refugee Act of 1980.

Reports indicate that the Trump administration is planning to admit up to 17,500 individuals, “primarily” Afrikaners (white South Africans), through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Right now is a critical time to urge all Members of Congress to pressure the administration to return the United States to re-open refugee admissions on a non-discriminatory basis and fully resume refugee processing and admissions for the most at risk.

RCUSA’s statement following the consultations is available here. RCUSA’s earlier statement on the FY27 PD ahead of consultations is available here.

Your voice matters. Tell Congress to do 3 things:

  • Pressure the administration to fully resume refugee processing and resettlement under a nondiscriminatory framework to protect the most at-risk refugees.
  • Couple these guardrails with necessary investments in the capacity to welcome, including full restoration of food, medical, and other public assistance to resettled refugees.
  • At minimum, the United States should take steps to resettle the following populations of concern:
    • The refugees who had been conditionally-approved for resettlement to the United States and had been left stranded, as of January 2025 when the refugee ban went into effect, such as Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Burma.
    • Afghan allies stranded abroad, such as those still located at Camp As Salyiyah (CAS) and those referred to (and eligible for) the Afghan P-2 program, at risk due to their U.S. affiliation.
    • Families for reunification to the United States, such as via the Follow-to-Join Program.
    • Persecuted religious minorities, through the Lautenberg Program, among them Christian, Jewish, and Baha’i communities – including those currently at increased risk amid escalating violence in Iran – as well as certain particularly vulnerable refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
    • U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis, such as employees of U.S. non-governmental organizations and media organizations or certain family members of U.S. citizens, green card holders, and others, under the Iraqi Direct Access Program.
    • Particularly vulnerable children through the U.S. Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program, which provides the only lifesaving option for refugee children who do not have a parent or relative available to provide for their long-term care.

Additional messaging and talking points are available here. Thank you for taking action — and share this action alert with your networks!