The Trump administration will limit the number of refugees it allows into the country in 2026 to just 7,500 – the lowest in history – and most of those admitted will be White South Africans, according to a notice published Oct. 30 in the federal register.

That’s a precipitous decline from the 125,000 annual refugee determination set for the previous year by former President Joe Biden under a once-bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program program, which resettles people from around the world fleeing war and persecution.

President Donald Trump quickly paused the program after taking office in January. The new determination sets the lowest cap since the program began more than four decades ago, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

The memo said that it was justified by "humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest." It added that admissions would be focused on "Afrikaners from South Africa" and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands."

Trump has claimed Afrikaners face persecution based on their race in the Black-majority country, allegations the South African government has denied. The administration had brought more than 130 South Africans to the U.S. by early September, Reuters reported.

The strict limits for 2026 reflect the Trump administration’s larger efforts to curtail legal immigration. Last month, Trump administration officials urged other nations to roll back asylum protections.

"My honest view is that right now America, thanks in part to the Biden border invasion but also thanks in part to a lot of bad immigration policy, right now we have let in too many immigrants into the United States of America, that is just a fundamental reality," Vice President JD Vance said on Oct. 29 at a Mississippi rally, according to the Clarion-Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The new refugee limits drew criticism from refugee advocates who have been fighting to get the administration to resettle thousands of already vetted and approved refugees who remain stuck at home or in third countries since Trump paused the program.

"This determination makes it painfully clear that the Trump administration values politics over protection. By privileging Afrikaners while continuing to ban thousands of refugees who have already been vetted and approved, the administration is once again politicizing a humanitarian program," said Sharif Aly, president of the International Refugee Assistance Project.

The move also drew condemnation from advocates who have fought for years to resettle more Afghans who served alongside U.S. troops or in support of its mission during the war, including some currently stranded in countries such as Pakistan and Qatar but who fear returning home will bring retribution by the Taliban.

"This is an unprecedented dismantling of America’s refugee program and a moral collapse that abandons the very allies who stood shoulder to shoulder with our troops," said Shawn VanDiver, founder of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of veterans, nonprofits, current and former national security and intelligence members.

In another action published on the register, the White House said it would move oversight of the refugee support programs from the State Department to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump cuts 2026 US refugee admissions to historic low. Most will be White South Africans.

Reporting by Chris Kenning, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect