Trump administration again omits refugees fleeing religious persecution from US program

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(RNS) — The Trump administration notified Congress on Tuesday (Sept. 22) that it once again plans to limit the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to 17,500 admissions next year, primarily white South Africans.

It would mark the second year in a row of historically low refugee admissions prioritizing a group known as Afrikaners. The U.S. has welcomed an average of 92,000 refugees per year since its inception in 1980.

It would also make 2027 the second year in which refugees fleeing religious persecution are afforded no pathway to resettlement in the U.S.

Representatives for faith-based refugee resettlement agencies expressed outrage.

“For more than four decades, America’s refugee program has provided a lifesaving pathway for people fleeing violence and persecution,” Naomi Steinberg, vice president for refugee and immigration policy and advocacy at HIAS, a Jewish refugee resettlement agency, said in a statement . “But again, this administration is diminishing and distorting this legacy in service of its political whims.”

HIAS, along with Church World Service and Lutheran Community Services…