The United States is on pace to accept fewer refugees this fiscal year than at any point in at least a quarter century, as the Trump administration holds firm on strict limits that have slashed arrivals to a fraction of their recent peak.

Pew Research Center analysis of State Department data shows just 10,258 refugees were admitted in the first ten months of the current fiscal year, which ends September 30. At that pace, total admissions will fall well below the administration’s already-historic cap of 17,500 for fiscal 2026, itself the lowest ceiling set in 25 years.

The numbers mark a dramatic reversal from the Biden years. The U.S. took in more than 100,000 refugees in fiscal 2024, and roughly 38,000 in fiscal 2025, the year that straddled the presidential transition. The long-run average between 2001 and 2026 was around 50,000 per year.

The composition of arrivals has also shifted sharply. A striking share of this year’s admissions consists of white South Africans, known as Afrikaners, following a February 2025 executive order from President Trump directing the administration to prioritize their applications. The order contends that Black South African leaders have discriminated against Afrikaners and seized farmland without paying compensation. South African officials dispute that claim and deny any systemic persecution of the Afrikaner population.

Afrikaners are descended from Dutch, German, and French colonial settlers and were the primary architects of South Africa’s apartheid system, which lasted from 1948 to 1994. Black South Africans make up roughly 80 percent of the country’s population.

In prior years, the Democratic Republic of Congo sent the largest number of refugees to the United States. Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bhutan, Sudan, Venezuela, Eritrea, Myanmar, and Guatemala were also among the leading source countries.

The current trajectory echoes patterns from earlier periods of restriction. Refugee admissions fell sharply after the September 11 attacks, when President George W. Bush temporarily suspended application processing. Numbers dropped again during Trump’s first term, when his administration restricted travel and immigration from several majority-Muslim countries.

On the question of public support, a 2025 Pew survey of more than 10,000 Americans found that 36 percent considered admitting refugees escaping violence to be very or extremely important, while another 39 percent called it somewhat important. The survey reflects a divided public but not one that is uniformly opposed to refugee programs.

For North Idaho communities that have historically received refugee resettlement referrals, reduced federal admissions mean fewer cases flowing through resettlement networks. Whether that reduction is seen as a relief on local services or a missed opportunity depends on where residents and local officials stand. The administration’s position is that tighter controls protect American workers, public resources, and national security. Critics argue the numbers represent a retreat from a longstanding American tradition. The administration’s broader approach to border and immigration enforcement has drawn both strong support and sharp opposition since January 2025.

Barring a significant uptick before September 30, fiscal 2026 will close as the lowest year for refugee admissions in modern records.