US President Donald Trump has set a limit of 7,500 people for people who will be allowed to apply for asylum in the US for fiscal year 2026, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
This is the smallest number in history since statistics on this indicator have been kept, the world agency specifies. The ceiling set by Trump can be seen in a document published today by the White House.
Most of the refugees admitted will be white citizens of the Republic of South Africa, the Associated Press notes. The United States has so far admitted hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world fleeing war and political persecution, the AP notes.
The Federal Register page, where the document was published, does not mention the reason for the sharp decrease in the number. Last year - during Joe Biden's presidential term - it was 125,000, the AP points out.
The memorandum says only that the admission of a maximum of 7,500 refugees for fiscal year 2026 "is based on humanitarian considerations and is in the national interest anyway."