Pramila Jayapal
10/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2025 15:32
Ranking Members Raskin, Jayapal, Durbin, and Padilla Condemn Trump Administration’s Unlawful Refugee Cap
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Washington, D.C. (October 30, 2025)-Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Sen. Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration's decision to slash refugee admissions to 7,500-almost entirely limited to white South Africans-without the legally required consultation with Congress: "The Trump Administration just announced that it will gut the United States' refugee admissions program-slashing the annual cap to a mere 7,500 refugees, an astonishing 94% cut over last year and the lowest level in our nation's history. To add insult to injury, the Administration is skipping over the tens of thousands of refugees who have been waiting in line for years in dire circumstances to come to the United States and it is instead prioritizing a single privileged racial group-white South African Afrikaners-for these severely limited slots. "This bizarre presidential determination is not only morally indefensible, it is illegal and invalid. The Administration has brazenly ignored the statutory requirement to consult with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees before setting the annual refugee admissions ceiling. That process exists to ensure that decisions of such great consequence reflect our nation's values, our humanitarian commitments, and the rule of law, not the racial preferences or political whims of any one president. "The reason for this evasion is evident: the Administration knows it cannot defend its egregious policy before Congress or the American people. While nearly 130,000 vetted, approved refugees-men, women, and children fleeing persecution and violence-wait in limbo after being promised a chance at safety, Donald Trump is looking to turn refugee admissions into another political giveaway for his pet projects and infatuations. "We reject this announcement as both unlawful and contrary to America's longstanding commitment to offer refuge to the persecuted. To twist our refugee policy into a partisan straightjacket is to betray both our legal obligations and our moral identity as a nation." ### |
Issues: Immigration
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