Human Rights First Condemns Blatantly Racist and Wholly Inadequate Presidential Determination on Refugee Admission

Washington, D.C. – Thirty days into the fiscal year, the Trump administration released their Presidential Determination on refugee admissions, slashing the annual resettlement goal to 7,500 — a historic low for the program and a drastic drop from the previous goal of 125,000 set for fiscal year 2025. 

The Determination outlines that the United States will prioritize the resettlement of White Afrikaners, excluding many at-risk refugees who have waited for years to be resettled. It also leaves in place the refugee ban implemented earlier this year and was issued without the proper consultation with Congress, as required by law.   

“President Trump’s cruel decision to crater U.S. refugee admissions to an all-time low and prioritize privileged White Afrikaners represents a new low point in U.S foreign policy,” said Human Rights First President and CEO Uzra Zeya. “Turning our back on hundreds of thousands of truly at-risk refugees fleeing religious, political, and other forms of persecution defies decades of bipartisan support for welcoming the vulnerable, from Vietnamese to Afghan allies. Compounded by Trump’s abrupt defunding of U.S. humanitarian aid and UN agencies that support refugees, this decision will further destabilize front line states that host over two-thirds of the world’s nearly 43 million refugees, undermining U.S. national security in tandem.”

Human Rights First calls on the administration to restart and scale up fact-based, non-discriminatory refugee resettlement to bring to safety Afghan, Nicaraguan, Sudanese, South Sudanese, Rohingya and other at-risk refugees who urgently need protection.