US Congress Reviews Refugee Programme Changes as Agencies Challenge South Africa-Only Policy
Kakuma, 20 May 2026
Congressional consultations are underway to modify America’s 2026 refugee admissions ceiling, currently set at just 7,500 people. The Trump administration proposes increasing this to 17,500 specifically for white South Africans, whilst over 120,000 previously approved refugees from 90 countries remain stranded since January 2025’s near-total ban. Legal challenges from Church World Service and HIAS allege racial discrimination in excluding all refugees except South Africans.
Congressional Review Process Begins Amid Legal Challenges
Congressional consultations scheduled for the week of 18 May 2026 will determine whether to approve the administration’s proposal to increase refugee admissions from 7,500 to 17,500 people [1]. However, the proposed increase exclusively targets white Afrikaners from South Africa, whilst maintaining the ban on all other refugee populations [1][2]. Church World Service, HIAS, and Lutheran Services Northwest filed an amended complaint in April 2026 challenging this policy, alleging racial animus in the exclusion of all refugees except South Africans [1]. The legal challenge comes as refugee advocacy organisations condemn what they describe as the politicisation of humanitarian programmes.
Stranded Refugees Face Indefinite Wait
More than 120,000 refugees from over 90 countries who were approved for U.S. resettlement before the near-total ban in January 2025 remain stranded worldwide [1][3]. Among those affected are over 15,000 Iranians fleeing religious persecution and hundreds of evacuated Afghans currently housed at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar [1][3]. The administration’s proposal to resettle an additional 10,000 white South Africans does not include any pathway for these previously approved refugees [2][3]. Afghan Special Immigrant Visas have been effectively frozen, with the State Department no longer creating new Chief of Mission cases for SIV applications received after 31 December 2025 [3].
Humanitarian Impact and Agency Response
The refugee ban and funding halt have devastated resettlement agencies, with stop work orders and prolonged delays in reimbursement affecting operations nationwide [3]. Erol Kekic, Chief Strategy Officer at Church World Service, stated: “For decades, the United States has upheld an unwavering, bipartisan moral commitment to the principles of refuge and safety… Today, in the face of unprecedented global humanitarian crises, we can and must do better” [1]. HIAS President and CEO Beth Oppenheim described the South Africa-focused policy as “the politicisation of a humanitarian program in service of an ideological agenda” [4][8]. The United Nations projects 136 million people will be forcibly displaced or stateless by the end of 2026 [1].
Broader Immigration Enforcement Measures
Alongside the refugee programme changes, Congress is scheduled to vote this week on a budget bill proposing over £70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations, without accompanying reforms [7]. The administration has also implemented additional restrictions, including a Title 42 order issued on 18 May 2026 suspending entry of foreign nationals who were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan during the previous 21 days, effective immediately for 30 days due to the Ebola outbreak [3]. These measures compound existing challenges for vulnerable populations seeking protection, with 200,000 children having had a parent detained under current enforcement policies [3].