The Donald Trump administration plans to accept only 7500 refugee applications in 2026, according to a notice published in the US Federal Registry on Thursday.
The updated figures represent a dramatic reduction after his predecessor, Joe Biden’s government, accepted more than 125,000 applications from around the world. Trump’s order says that “the admission numbers shall primarily be allocated among the Afrikaners from South Africa. Along with other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands."
The statement, though, did not mention the origin of the countries of the “other victims” that order stated. Experts have said that Trump will act harshly on the asylum seekers from South Asia, particularly from South Asian countries.
After assuming charge in January earlier this year, Trump immediately paused refugee arrivals, only making an exception for white South Africans. Trump has previously claimed that Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa, based on their race. The South African government has denied the claim.
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The refugee programme has been in place since 1980, and the authority to set a cap (limit) on admissions rests with the President of the United States. During his first term, Trump lowered the cap each year until it reached 15,000 in the last year of his presidency.
With a cap on, asylum seekers from the war-torn countries will find it extremely difficult, despite the urgency to flee or exit their respective countries.
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