Civil Rights Groups Denounce Trump’s Planned Refugee Cuts as Discriminatory and Un-American
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2025
CONTACT:
James Woo (Atlanta), media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Aleisha Flores (Washington, D.C.) (771) 233-8202, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Liana Liang (California) (213) 977‑7500 x237, lliang@ajsocal.org
Grace Pai (Chicago), gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Recent reporting indicates that the Trump Administration plans to set the FY 2026 refugee ceiling at 7,500, which would be the lowest level in history. This would represent a more than 100,000-person cut in refugee admissions and would exclude many individuals who are at risk of death and persecution. This would heavily affect Asian immigrants: more than half of the refugee ceiling from FY 2025 were allocated for East Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Reports suggest that South African Afrikaners, whose refugee status has been contested, would be given priority for resettlement. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of United Nations-recognized refugees who were already vetted and were prevented from resettling in the U.S. when the Trump Administration halted refugee admissions in 2025 would not receive the same attention.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations, issues the following statement:
“President Trump’s reported plans to drastically cut refugee admissions at a time when the number of refugees is at historic highs is a clear example of his administration’s anti-immigrant and racist agenda. The decades-old refugee admission system reflects a bipartisan agreement about the ideals of America – that we welcome and help those fleeing persecution.
“These proposed levels would affect hundreds of thousands of refugees and their families, including many from Asia. In FY 2025, more than half of the refugee ceiling (set at 125,000 by the Biden Administration in FY 2024) was allocated for those from East Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. By contrast, the Trump administration’s new plan would prioritize settling white Afrikaners who have not been recognized by the United Nations as refugees.
“The cuts to this life-saving program are blatantly discriminatory and harmful. Tens of thousands of refugees from across the world are currently in limbo given the Trump Administration’s refusal to admit them. We call on the Trump Administration to uphold American ideals by expeditiously processing the applications of those most at risk, instead of playing politics to appeal to its base.”
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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of four leading Asian American civil rights organizations committed to advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and building a more just society for all.
