US will only admit 7,500 refugees annually, with these individuals receiving priority

The administration issued a notification on Thursday announcing this. According to the notification, the United States will only admit 7,500 refugees in the 2026 fiscal year, down from the more than 100,000 refugees it had been accepting annually under Democratic President Joe Biden.

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has drastically cut refugee admissions. The Trump administration is now reducing the number of refugee admissions to the US to 7,500 for the 2026 fiscal year, with priority given to white South Africans.

US President Donald Trump imposed a ban on refugee admissions upon taking office. However, despite Pretoria's insistence that white South Africans not face persecution in their home country, he has made an exception. Under the new decision, the US will only admit 7,500 refugees annually, the majority of whom will be from South Africa.

The administration issued a notification on Thursday announcing this. According to the notification, the United States will only admit 7,500 refugees in the 2026 fiscal year, down from the more than 100,000 refugees it had been accepting annually under Democratic President Joe Biden.

These people will receive priority
According to a White House memorandum, the majority of those admitted during the fiscal year beginning October 1 will be white South Africans and "others who are victims of illegality or unjust discrimination in their respective countries." It states that admission numbers will be allocated primarily among Africans from South Africa.

Notably, US President Donald Trump campaigned for the White House with a promise to deport millions of illegal immigrants and signed an executive order in January suspending the US refugee admissions program.

More than two million people admitted since 1980
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said that since 1980, more than two million people escaping persecution have been admitted to the United States under this program. Now, it will be used as a pathway for white immigration.