New York, NY, May 26, 2026 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) welcomes the US administration’s decision to increase the FY 2026 refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 but is deeply troubled that the entire increase is allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa while broader refugee admissions remain severely restricted. At a time of record global displacement, allocating limited refugee admissions overwhelmingly to one nationality excludes many of the world’s most vulnerable from access to protection.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has long operated with bipartisan support as a rules-based system designed to protect people fleeing persecution based on vulnerability and humanitarian need, regardless of nationality. Reserving the entirety of this admissions increase for one group while broader refugee admissions remain largely suspended undermines confidence in the fairness and integrity of a program that has historically reflected longstanding American humanitarian leadership and values.
“America has long welcomed people fleeing persecution and escaping violence, and the U.S. refugee resettlement program has been a vital part of that commitment,” said Hans Van de Weerd, Senior Vice President, Resettlement, Asylum and Integration. “At a time of record global displacement, access to protection must be equitable and based on need. The United States should continue to honor its word and commitments by ensuring that limited refugee admissions slots are open to all nationalities facing credible threats of persecution, not disproportionately allocated to any single group.”
Thus far in FY 2026, only three refugees admitted through USRAP have been from a country other than South Africa. Meanwhile, more than 128,000 fully vetted refugees remain stranded as the January 2025 executive order generally suspending refugee admissions remains in place, barring most refugees unless they receive special exemptions.
These are not just numbers, these are real people enduring conflict, displacement, religious persecution, and family separation:
- A refugee family displaced by the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains separated by the ongoing resettlement suspension. One sibling and her one-year-old daughter, who arrived in January 2025 to Georgia, are living with a brother who is working to support the family. However, the arrival of another brother and their grandmother, who were expected in February 2025, has been indefinitely paused due to the refugee admissions suspension. The family remains hopeful that a pathway to reunify will one day reopen.
- The ongoing resettlement suspension has left three refugee siblings in Washington state separated from their mother, who has been waiting to resettle to America for nearly ten years. After fleeing the war in Syria, the three adult siblings were resettled in 2023. Their mother should have arrived in February 2025, but her travel was cancelled due to the refugee admissions suspension order, and she remains stranded abroad.
Refugees are an asset to the United States, bringing an entrepreneurial spirit and making contributions that revitalize industries and communities. Those admitted to the United States undergo the most rigorous screening of any group seeking entry, including years of background checks, security vetting, and interviews conducted by multiple government agencies.
The IRC calls on the administration to lift the general suspension of refugee admissions and to implement USRAP under a framework that reflects global humanitarian realities and restores confidence in a program that has long served as a cornerstone of U.S. leadership and values.