10/13/2026
New arrivals under the Refugee Resettlement program will not be refugees. Using refugee admissions to favor people based on race or nationality undermines the principles at the heart of the 1980 Refugee Act. Refugee resettlement should not be a political bargaining tool. It is a commitment to protecting people whose lives are at risk and recognizing the dignity every person deserves to seek safety and live peacefully.
Each year, the President announces how many people will be granted safety through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
This year, that announcement was appalling: 17,500 people will be welcomed — 'primarily' white South Africans. The decision distorts the legacy of a program that has always been used to protect the world's most vulnerable populations.
Who has been left out?
Refugees fleeing wars in Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine, victims of religious persecution in Iran and Myanmar, Afghans who supported the U.S. mission and were left stranded outside of the country. And more.
"We will never stop speaking out for a return to a program that welcomes refugees from around the world who have been persecuted because of who they are and what they believe" said Naomi Steinberg, HIAS Vice President of Refugee and Immigration Policy & Advocacy.
