The Donald Trump administration announced Thursday that it will cap annual refugee admissions to the United States at 7,500 — a steep reduction from the 125,000 ceiling set under Joe Biden.

The policy also gives priority to white refugees from South Africa, sparking widespread criticism both domestically and abroad. 

According to a notice published in the Federal Register, “the admission of up to 7,500 refugees to the United States during the 2026 fiscal year is justified on humanitarian or national interest grounds. Slots will primarily be allocated to the Afrikaner minority of South Africa and other victims of illegal or unfair discrimination in their home countries.” 

The move follows an executive order signed months earlier by Trump, suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in the name of national security. 

In May, Trump publicly criticized South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing his government of overseeing “persecution” and “genocide” against the white Afrikaner minority. Ramaphosa pushed back, noting that members of his delegation — including a minister — belong to that same community. 

The announcement reignites debate over systemic racism in South Africa and the broader implications of U.S. immigration policy.

Under the apartheid regime (1948–1991), Black South Africans were forcibly dispossessed of their land, which was given to the white minority. More than thirty years later, that 20 percent of the population still controls over 90 percent of the country’s farmland.