Trump's week in review: The dawn of 'Super intelligence'; troops exit Iraq; new refugee ceiling draws concern
1. Trump administration announces refugee ceiling for FY 2027
Presidential Determination 2026-24, the presidential determination on refugee admissions for fiscal year 2027, was filed for public inspection with the Federal Register Thursday.
The document sets the refugee ceiling for the next fiscal year (which begins every year on Oct. 1) at 17,500. Trump directed that refugee admissions “shall be primarily allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa,” stating that Afrikaners “are victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
The determination did not sit well with World Relief, an Evangelical agency that works with churches to help resettle refugees in the United States.
In a statement Thursday, the group called for a revision that prioritizes “refugees who meet the traditional, international legal definition of a refugee — those outside of their country of origin who have a well-founded fear of persecution.” World Relief also called on the Trump administration to “honor its previous commitments to protecting those persecuted on account of their religion.”
“At a time when displacement and persecution are at historically high levels around the world, the U.S. continues to turn its back on those in greatest need,” said World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene.
“Despite repeated promises to protect religious liberties at home and abroad, President Trump has reneged on his word – and his own precedent. Now, more than ever, the U.S. has abdicated its role and true global leadership by slamming shut the ‘golden door’ that has represented the promise of safety and freedom for centuries.”
Last month, the organization released a joint report with persecution watchdog Open Doors stating that the U.S. was on track to resettle zero Christians fleeing from the world's worst countries for persecution in fiscal year 2026.
While the report primarily focused on persecuted Christians, the halt on refugee resettlement during the Trump administration has applied to all religious minorities in those countries.
“Only three refugees were resettled from a country on the Open Doors World Watch List, and those individuals were not religious minorities," the report states. "We can conclude with a high degree of confidence that in FY2026, no refugees experiencing religious persecution will be resettled in the U.S."
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
