With FY 2026 (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026) now closed, and September’s admission numbers released on October 6, we can provide a snapshot of the full year’s refugee admissions by month, nationality, and top resettlement states.
The United States admitted 16,292 refugees in FY 2026, about 93 percent of the 17,500 ceiling. All but five were from South Africa (16,287) — in line with the Trump administration’s policy of prioritizing Afrikaners. The other five were from Afghanistan. The top initial resettlement states were Texas, Florida, California, Michigan, and New York.
Policy Background
President Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) as soon as he took office in January 2025, subject to exceptions. His subsequent February 7, 2025 Executive Order 14204, “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa”, directed officials to prioritize the resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa and to admit them on a case-by-case basis while the USRAP remained suspended.
Trump initially set the FY 2026 refugee ceiling at 7,500 (a 94 percent drop from Biden’s target earlier that year), with slots to be primarily allocated to Afrikaners under EO 14204. The presidential determination usually comes out in late September, but because of the ongoing government shutdown then, it was not published in the Federal Register until October 31, 2025. This delay explains why no refugees were admitted in October 2025 (see FY 2026 monthly admissions below).
In May 2026, Trump raised the FY 2026 refugee ceiling to 17,500, again allocating the additional slots primarily to Afrikaners. He has since set the FY 2027 refugee ceiling at 17,500 as well, once more, prioritizing Afrikaners.
Refugee Admissions Over the Past Three Fiscal Years
- FY 2024 (Biden): 100,034 refugees admitted.
- FY 2025 (Biden then Trump): 38,102 refugees admitted. Of those, 37,596 arrived between October 2024 and January 2025, mostly under Biden. Only 506 arrived between February and September 2025, under Trump.
- FY 2026 (Trump): 16,292 refugees admitted.
FY 2025 and FY 2026 Admission Data and Refugee Ceilings under Biden and Trump
Below I list FY 2026 refugee admissions by month, top nationalities, and resettlement states. For comparison, I include the same figures for FY 2025. I also list refugee ceilings under Biden and Trump. All data is from the Refugee Processing Center portal, including its archives section.
FY 2026 Data
FY 2026 Refugee Monthly Admissions
- October 2025: 0
- November 2025: 125
- December 2025: 595
- January 2026: 931
- February 2026: 1,507
- March 2026: 1,341
- April 2026: 1,570
- May 2026: 599
- June 2026: 1,062
- July 2026: 2,528
- August 2026: 2,646
- September 2026: 3,388
- Total: 16,292
FY 2026 Refugee Nationalities
- South Africa: 16,287
- Afghanistan: 5
FY 2026 Top 10 Resettlement States
- Texas: 2,095
- Florida: 1,197
- California: 1,171
- Michigan: 759
- New York: 726
- Ohio: 623
- North Carolina: 572
- Oklahoma: 559
- Wisconsin: 502
- Washington: 480
FY 2025 Data
FY 2025 Refugee Monthly Admissions
- October 2024: 7,631
- November 2024: 7,162
- December 2024: 12,518
- January 2025: 10,285
- February 2025: 2
- March 2025: 14
- April 2025: 41
- May 2025: 113
- June 2025: 14
- July 2025: 66
- August 2025: 63
- September 2025: 193
- Total: 38,102
FY 2025 Top 10 Refugee Nationalities
- Afghanistan: 6,758
- Democratic Republic of Congo: 5,672
- Venezuela: 4,559
- Syria: 4,553
- Burma: 3,599
- Somalia: 2,496
- Nicaragua: 1,381
- Guatemala: 1,166
- Eritrea: 1,075
- South Sudan: 707
FY 2025 Top 10 Resettlement States
- Texas: 3,923
- California: 3,044
- New York: 2,438
- Florida: 1,513
- Pennsylvania: 1,504
- Ohio: 1,500
- Illinois: 1,454
- Georgia: 1,442
- Minnesota: 1,337
- North Carolina: 1,277
Refugee Ceilings under Biden and Trump
Refugee Ceilings set by Biden:
- 2025: 125,000 (Trump suspended USRAP on January 20, 2025. In February he issued an EO allowing the resettlement of Afrikaners on a case-by-case basis)
- FY 2024: 125,000
- FY 2023: 125,000
- FY 2022: 125,000
- FY 2021: 62,500 (Biden raised Trump’s ceiling that was set at 15,000)
Refugee Ceilings set by Trump, Second Term:
- FY 2027: 17,500
- FY 2026: 7,500; increased to 17,500
- FY 2025: Suspension
Refugee Ceilings set by Trump, First Term:
- FY 2021: 15,000
- FY 2020: 18,000
- FY 2019: 30,000
- FY 2018: 45,000
- FY 2017: 50,000 (Trump lowered the 110,000 ceiling Obama had set)