As of June 30, 2026, 7,730 refugees had been admitted to the United States this fiscal year. All but three of them were South African. Virtually no refugees of other nationalities have been resettled under the program in FY2026 to date, even as the administration keeps in
place an indefinite, unlawful ban on general refugee admissions and an expanded travel ban suspending entry for Afghan allies who served alongside U.S. forces.
This week is Welcoming Week, the national September 10–19 campaign celebrating communities that welcome immigrants and refugees. Hearts & Homes for Refugees (HHR) continues to see communities step up in support of the welcoming movement, including over 300 active volunteers in the Hudson Valley alone, even as the federal government moves in the opposite direction. That is why HHR is speaking out now, just weeks before the administration’s Fiscal Year 2027 refugee admissions decision.
Federal law requires the administration to consult with Congress before issuing the Fiscal Year 2027 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, due by October 1. As that deadline approaches, HHR is calling on the administration to restore a nondiscriminatory refugee
resettlement program and on Congress to hold it accountable to its obligations under the Refugee Act of 1980.
“For more than 40 years, refugee resettlement has been a legal, safe, successful, and bipartisan humanitarian effort. Shutting it down does not fix immigration; it only serves to deepen division and injustice. We will not be silent. We will continue to welcome and advocate for
refugees and stand with all who believe in a compassionate and lawful path forward,” said Kathie O’Callaghan, President of Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
By comparison, the United States has admitted an average of roughly 92,000 refugees per year since 1980 across both Republican and Democratic administrations. More than 41.6 million people worldwide are currently refugees, with the largest numbers fleeing Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
HHR, a member organization of #AfghanEvac and Evacuate Our Allies, calls on the administration and Congress to ensure safeguards and allocations for:
● Refugees conditionally approved for resettlement before the January 2025 refugee ban
took effect, who remain stranded.
● Afghan mission partners and U.S. military families, including those referred to the Afghan
P-2 program and those stranded at Camp As Sayliyah, with a dedicated minimum
allocation of 5,000.
● Family reunification cases, including through the Follow-to-Join program.
● Persecuted religious minorities under the Lautenberg Program, including Iranian
religious minorities amid escalating violence in Iran.
● U.S.-affiliated Iraqis under the Iraqi Direct Access Program.
● Unaccompanied refugee children through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program.
HHR further calls on Congress to fully restore refugees’ access to food, medical, and other
public assistance curtailed over the past year, and calls on state and local elected officials to
publicly reaffirm their communities’ commitment to welcome.
About Hearts & Homes for Refugees: Hearts & Homes for Refugees inspires, educates, and equips volunteers, neighbors, and community organizations of all faiths and civic traditions to welcome, support, and advocate for refugees. Through community sponsorship and holistic
programs, we empower our new neighbors to rebuild their lives with dignity, self-sufficiency, and hope. For the past 10 years, Hearts & Homes for Refugees has engaged community members and local partners in welcoming refugees in the lower Hudson Valley and across the country, providing support to over one thousand new neighbors.
Visit https://www.heartsandhomesforrefugees.org/ to learn more.