TAKE ACTION: Stand With Stranded Refugees as Trump Plans Historically Low Refugee Admissions Ceiling


October 28, 2025

On October 31, President Trump published the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 in the Federal Register. The determination sets the refugee admissions ceiling for the upcoming year at 7,500, by far the lowest number in the history of the refugee program. The announcement stated that “the admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa” as well as “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination.”

The announcement effectively close the door to the tens of thousands of already approved refugees who have been waiting for years in the pipeline, including: Refugees from the world’s largest displacement crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Venezuela, and elsewhere; Afghan allies fleeing retribution for their support of the U.S. government; persecuted religious minorities, unaccompanied refugee children; families awaiting reunification; and many others. All remain stranded.

The 2026 PD on refugee admissions:

  • Sets the refugee target at 7,500 for the remainder of the fiscal year (through September 30, 2026). No president other than Trump, regardless of party, has ever set a refugee admissions target below 60,000.
      
  • Prioritizes Afrikaners from South Africa for nearly all available slots. Even for the very limited slots available, the PD also prioritizes Afrikaners ahead of and instead of other refugees – including tens of thousands who had already been conditionally approved for resettlement (and over 12,000 who had flights booked to come to the U.S. when the refugee ban went into place).
      
  • Failed to comply with legal requirements to consult with Congress. While the PD notes it occurred after “appropriate consultations with Congress,” that representation is demonstrably false. House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders (who are legally required to be consulted before a determination on refugee admissions is made) called the PD “illegal and invalid” because the administration has “brazenly ignored the statutory requirement to consult.”
      
  • Leaves the indefinite refugee and travel ban in place. In a press conference on October 31, a representative for the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) noted the directive appears to make these bans permanent. As a result, any refugee who admitted to the U.S. in 2026 would likely need to qualify for an exception to the ongoing bans. Apart from refugees who arrived pursuant to court intervention in Pacito v. Trump, the only refugees who qualified for exceptions were Afrikaners.

Now remains an urgent time to call on our elected leaders and urge them to hold the administration accountable for abiding by the Refugee Act of 1980. There is still time to restore our proud legacy of protecting those in harm’s way.   

CONTACT YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE

Sample Email Script: “My name is [insert name], and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge you and your office to stand with refugees as the administration attempts to set a historically low refugee admissions target for FY 2026 – with slots reserved almost exclusively for Afrikaners. This is a moral failure. It is a decision that undermines the integrity of our refugee program and it breaks our promise to many refugees already approved for U.S. resettlement.

I urge you to use your voice and oversight capacity to call on the administration to follow the law and properly consult with Congress and call for the full restoration of the refugee resettlement program for the most at-risk refugees around the world. Specifically, I urge you to: 

  • Strongly voice your support for stranded refugees who are being excluded from the administration’s plans, including via congressional inquiries, oversight hearings,  and Dear Colleague letters.
      
  • Hold the administration accountable for breaking the law and failing to consult with Congress before setting a new refugee admissions goal. Join litigation or amicus briefs and highlight the determination is not valid without proper consultation. 
      
  • Support key funding and legislation that codifies and protects refugee programs. Support funding and guardrails for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account and the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, as well as vital legislation like the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Enduring Welcome Act.

On October 31, the administration published a Presidential Determination that sets the refugee admissions target for fiscal year 2026 at just 7,500. No president other than Trump, regardless of party, has ever set a refugee admissions goal below 60,000. 

The PD as written closes our doors to tens of thousands of already-approved refugees who have been waiting for years in the pipeline, including: Refugees from the world’s largest displacement crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Venezuela, and elsewhere; Afghan allies fleeing retribution for their support of the U.S. government; persecuted religious minorities; unaccompanied refugee children; families awaiting reunification; refugees with severe medical conditions; and many others.

 The PD states that it is being promulgated “after appropriate consultations with Congress,” but by all accounts no such consultations have taken place. The Refugee Act of 1980 – which remains the law of the land – requires the administration to hold a consultation with Congress outlining the global refugee situation and why the proposed admission is justified by “grave humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.” This consultation has taken place every year since the refugee program was established. 

A growing majority of Americans support welcoming refugees and newcomers. Refugees bring enormous economic and sociocultural benefits to the communities where they resettle; they are small business owners, tax contributors, and job creators. Our community welcomes refugees, and I encourage you to do so as well.

Thank you,
[NAME]”

Sample Phone Script:

My name is [NAME] and as your constituent from [CITY and STATE], and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I am outraged by the administration’s announcement that attempts to set a record low refugee admissions target for the coming year, with slots reserved almost exclusively for Afrikaners from South Africa. 

This is a moral failure. It undermines the integrity of our refugee program and break our promise to many refugees already approved for U.S. resettlement. It also directly violates the Refugee Act, in part because it comes without any required consultation with Congress.

Should it go forward, the move effectively closes the door to tens of thousands of refugees who have been waiting for years in the pipeline and have already been approved for refugee status.

The refugee ceiling of 7,500 for FY 2026 is by far the lowest number in the history of the program. No president other than Trump, regardless of party, has ever set a refugee admissions goal below 60,000.

I strongly urge you and your office to stand with refugees and encourage the Trump administration to fully restore the refugee resettlement program and resume resettlement for the most at-risk refugees around the world.

I further urge your office to support key refugee funding accounts like the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account and the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, as well as vital legislation like the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Enduring Welcome Act.

My community welcomes refugees, and I encourage you to do the same.

Thank you,
[NAME]

Sample Social Media Posts

  • @[legislator]: We are stronger with refugees. A record low refugee target abandons our values and makes us weaker! #DefendRefuge
  • @[legislator]: Keep America Welcoming. Our communities are stronger when we stand with our new neighbors. #RefugeesWelcome #ImmigrantsWelcome
  • @[legislator]: More than 300 bipartisan state & local elected officials are calling for the restart of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Join them in telling @POTUS @SecRubio #NoRefugeeBan! defendrefuge.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES