Trump Has Closed The Door On Refugees
After 10 months of forcing a slow death, and in defiance of U.S. laws and the legacy of leadership, the Trump Administration is shutting the door to refugees. Announced on October 30, the administration has set a refugee admissions ceiling of only 7,500 people for Fiscal Year 2026, with most slots reserved for Afrikaners from South Africa.
Dramatically lowering the refugee admissions ceiling, and signaling that Afrikaners will be prioritized and speedily processed over the world’s most persecuted and vetted refugees, is a baseless and cruel action that represents a moral and humanitarian failure of epic proportions.
Once a global leader, the U.S. is turning its back on those most at risk from violence, persecution and terror.
More than 120,000 vetted and documented refugees have been left in limbo since January 20. Tens of thousands more refugees are in the processing pipeline, identified by the UNHCR, U.S. embassies and the Welcome Corps program as being at grave risk. None of them will have a chance to live in safety.
And we are breaking our promise to more than 83,000 Afghan allies who fought along U.S. troops, promoted women’s rights with U.S. support, and much more. We are turning our back on Congolese women who face rape as a weapon of war, a tactic to terrorize communities, and a form of political repression. We are abandoning Venezuelan and Burmese activists who endure systematic persecution, violence, arbitrary arrest, and censorship by governments determined to silence dissent and dismantle civil society.
At HHR, we have spent nine years working at the grassroots, forming volunteer teams to welcome families who arrive with the required documentation ready to contribute, and helping them rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose.
Now, we face a moment of reckoning.
We urge supporters of welcoming to call on elected leaders – local, state, and national – to act with urgency and conscience:
Fully restore the capacity of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and set a minimum admissions goal of 125,000 for FY26.
Protect funding for resettlement, integration, and community sponsorship services.
Reject discriminatory prioritization that favors the privileged over the persecuted, and political expediency over moral obligation.
Maintain investments in health care, education, and nutrition programs that enable new arrivals to rebuild their lives with stability and dignity.
Find Your Local, State & National Elected Leaders
Our Promise:
We join thousands of Americans who have upheld our role as global leaders and oppose unravelling the 45-year-old U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
We stand against this moral failure and disregard for human life.
We will continue to speak up for justice and humanity.
We will stand alongside our new neighbors who have arrived in the Lower Hudson Valley, and we will continue to build the bridges of welcome our nation needs.
To our volunteers, donors, partners and the families we serve: this moment may feel dark. However, your commitment and compassion create a counterforce and serve as the antidote to the darkness of such actions. In the face of adversity, our values shine brightest.