New York, NY, October 17, 2025 — By this time of year, following consultation with Congress, the President of the United States usually issues a presidential determination setting the refugee admissions cap for the upcoming fiscal year, thereby authorizing the number of refugees who may be resettled in the US. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is concerned by the delay while press reports suggest a refugee cap as low as 7,500 mostly focused on South Africans is being proposed. This would lead to the exclusion of at-risk refugees, including more than 100,000 who have passed all vetting and are waiting patiently in line.
The IRC urges the administration to consider the principles that established the US Refugee Admissions Program in the 1980s when deciding the refugee cap and regional allocations for fiscal year 2026. For 45 years, the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has stood as a beacon of hope and a testament to American leadership and humanitarian values. The program has provided safety and opportunity to millions of the most vulnerable, coming from countries across the world. A lowered admissions cap will leave families separated and vulnerable individuals stranded.
Americans from across the political spectrum want refugee resettlement to continue. A poll released earlier this month found that nearly 70 percent of likely voters agree that America should have a refugee admissions program that helps bring people seeking safety to US communities.
Hans Van de Weerd, Senior Vice President, Resettlement, Asylum & Integration, said:
“A historic reduction in the refugee admissions cap that would primarily focus on Afrikaners would be a retreat from America’s proud tradition of offering refuge to those in need. The U.S. refugee resettlement program is one of the most cost-effective, security-conscious, and bipartisan policies America has ever built. Refugee resettlement strengthens the labor force, fills shortages in key industries, and demonstrates U.S. leadership abroad. At a time when the needs around the world are the greatest, we urge the administration to set a refugee admissions cap that restores a robust, needs-based refugee program which reflects America’s founding ideals, humanitarian commitments and widespread community support.”
About the International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, we now work in over 40 crisis-affected countries as well as communities throughout Europe and the Americas. In the United States, the IRC provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. It helps rebuild lives through economic empowerment, education and youth services, temporary financial assistance, employment services, workforce development, interpretation services, cultural orientation, school registration, and other related support.