President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to cut annual refugee admissions to just 7,500, a dramatic 94 percent reduction from the more than 100,000 refugees resettled under former President Joe Biden in Fiscal Year 2024. The report, first published by The New York Times, signals a return to Trump’s America First immigration stance, prioritizing U.S. sovereignty and national security over global resettlement quotas.
Under Biden, refugee admissions surged as the administration opened pathways for hundreds of thousands through parole programs for migrants from Afghanistan, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions. The Trump administration is reversing course, aiming to tightly limit resettlement while focusing on groups facing genuine persecution.
According to the Times, the majority of the new refugee slots will be reserved for white South Africans—descendants of Dutch and French settlers—fleeing racial discrimination and violence in their home country. The move has drawn criticism from the establishment media and left-leaning refugee advocacy groups, but aligns with long-standing conservative concerns about ideological bias in refugee admissions.
Trump’s policy acknowledges that the refugee cap is a ceiling, not a target, and the administration has made it clear that even the reduced figure is subject to strict vetting. The decision also serves as a rebuke to Biden-era policies that blurred the line between asylum and mass migration, contributing to ongoing strains on U.S. infrastructure and security.
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department have already begun admitting persecuted South Africans under the Trump directive, citing credible reports of anti-white violence and the collapse of property rights protections under the African National Congress government.
The refugee shift comes as Trump prepares for a 2026 reelection bid with immigration and border control once again taking center stage. Supporters see the new cap as a strong move to reclaim federal control over immigration priorities, reduce federal expenditures on resettlement programs, and protect American cultural and economic stability.
