Trump Eyes Drastic Changes to Refugee Policy: Report

President Trump is reportedly weighing sweeping changes to the US refugee system that would dramatically shrink admissions and tilt preference toward white applicants, according to internal documents obtained by the New York Times.

• The documents reveal proposals that would slash the refugee cap to as few as 7,500 per year—down from 125,000 under the Biden administration—and prioritize white South Africans, applicants who speak English, and Europeans "targeted for peaceful expression of views online such as opposition to mass migration or support for 'populist' political parties," a possible nod to groups like Germany's AfD. The White House has strongly criticized Germany's decision to label the far-right party extremist, the Telegraph reports.

• The documents also recommend new requirements for assimilation, such as mandatory classes on American values, and expanded security checks, including DNA testing for children. "The sharp increase in diversity has reduced the level of social trust essential for the functioning of a democratic polity," one document states, per the Times, recommending that the administration only allow "refugees who can be fully and appropriately assimilated, and are aligned with the president's objectives."
• State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott declined to discuss specific details with the Times, but said: "It should come as no surprise that the State Department is implementing the priorities of the duly elected president of the United States."

• The plans also call for canceling existing applications from hundreds of thousands of people already in the pipeline, and for limiting refugee resettlement in areas with high immigrant populations to avoid "concentration of non-native citizens."
• Critics include Barbara L. Strack, whose time as chief of the refugee affairs division at Citizenship and Immigration Services spanned three administrations, including Trump's first one. "It reflects a preexisting notion among some in the Trump administration as to who are the true Americans," she tells the Times. "And they think it's white people and they think it's Christians."

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