The Trump administration is drastically reducing the number of refugees it will admit to the United States, limiting it to 7,500 for the current fiscal year.

This is the lowest figure since the refugee program was established in 1980.

According to a notice published Thursday in the Federal Register, the United States wishes to admit primarily Afrikaners from South Africa, a white minority ethnic group that controlled South Africa during apartheid, and “other victims of unlawful or unjust discrimination in their respective countries of origin.”

The government has largely suspended its refugee resettlement program in the United States so far this year, with the exception of a streamlined resettlement process for white South Africans. Several hundred people from this group have been resettled in the United States since March.

The new limit for refugee admissions represents a dramatic change from the Biden administration's target of 125,000 refugees and a marked decrease compared to the historic low of 15,000 refugees set during Trump's first administration.

The memorandum indicates that the new limit “is justified for humanitarian reasons or responds to the national interest.”

Historically, the average refugee admission limit, for both Democratic and Republican administrations, has hovered around 95,000.

Top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, including Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Alex Padilla of California, sharply criticized Trump for the measure, stating that the new limit was announced without consulting Congress.

“This bizarre presidential decision is not only morally indefensible, but also illegal and invalid,” they said in a statement Thursday.

"The administration has blatantly ignored the legal requirement to consult with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees before setting the annual refugee admissions cap. This process exists to ensure that decisions of such magnitude reflect our nation's values, our humanitarian commitments, and the rule of law, not the racial preferences or political whims of any president," the Democratic leader emphasized.

Among his first executive actions, Trump suspended the refugee resettlement program. Various agencies, including the State Department, have also suspended funding for essential services intended for other refugees, such as housing, employment, and educational assistance, which Afrikaners will continue to receive.