""This decision doesn't just lower the refugee admissions ceiling. It lowers our moral standing," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. "For more than four decades, the US refugee program has been a lifeline for families fleeing war, persecution, and repression. At a time of crisis in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Venezuela to Sudan and beyond, concentrating the vast majority of admissions on one group undermines the program's purpose as well as its credibility.""
"The Trump administration's notice in the Federal Register doesn't mention any groups besides Afrikaners, white descendants of Europeans who subjected South Africa's majority Black population to a system of apartheid for decades. Multiple rich Trump backers - including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, venture capitalist David Sacks, and Palantir founder Peter Thiel - spent time in the country during those years."
The Trump administration set the refugee admissions cap at 7,500 for this fiscal year, allocating most slots to white South African Afrikaners. Human rights advocates and Democrats condemned the decision as lowering U.S. moral standing and undermining the refugee program's purpose and credibility. The Federal Register notice references Afrikaners specifically and omits mention of other persecuted groups. The cap represents a sharp reduction from a previously reported 40,000 under consideration and from the more than 100,000 allowed under the prior administration. Several wealthy Trump backers have historical ties to South Africa. Advocates warned the move could erode longstanding refugee protections and the program's reputation.
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