Trump caps refugee admissions at 7,500

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is cutting the limit on refugees the US resettles to 7,500 for the upcoming fiscal year, while prioritising white South Africans, a sharp break from the nation's traditional policy of accepting tens of thousands fleeing conflict and persecution annually.

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Newly arrived South Africans wait to hear welcome statements from US government officials in a hangar near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on May 12. AFP

(AFP)

The decision posted on Thursday in the Federal Register said the new policy is justified by "humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest". It's a steep decrease from last year's ceiling of 125,000, set under president Joe Biden, a Democrat. Bloomberg previously reported the administration was considering shrinking the cap to 7,500.

The cap is the latest effort by the administration to slash migration, both illegal and legal.

The US refugee programme has long received bipartisan support, but has come under attack by the GOP president and his allies as a vulnerable back door that lets criminals and terrorists into the country. People who apply for refugee status must go through a lengthy vetting process before being accepted.