How Many Refugees Are in the US? Ceilings and Recent Admissions

More than three million refugees have been admitted to the United States since the modern resettlement program began in 1980, drawn from dozens of countries.¹²³

Recent Admissions

In fiscal year 2024, the United States admitted approximately 100,060 refugees. That figure included about 37,050 principal applicants and 63,000 accompanying family members, and it was the highest single-year total since 1994.¹

The top five countries of origin that year were the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, and Burma. Historically, the largest groups have come from Vietnam and the former Soviet Union, with more than 70 nationalities represented over the program’s lifetime.⁴

The 2025 Suspension and the FY 2026 Ceiling

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” suspending USRAP indefinitely. The order declared that entry of refugees under the program “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States” and halted both new admissions and pending applications. The suspension took effect January 27, 2025, though the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security retained authority to admit individual refugees case by case where they determined it served the national interest.²

That action overrode the FY 2025 admissions ceiling of 125,000 that the previous administration had set months earlier.⁵ For FY 2026, the Presidential Determination set the ceiling at 7,500.³ The previous record low ceiling was 15,000 in FY 2021. New arrivals have effectively slowed to a trickle.

How the Numbers Have Moved Since 1980

Refugee admissions have swung sharply since the Refugee Act of 1980, driven more by political decisions in Washington than by the number of people worldwide who need protection. The single highest year was FY 1980 itself, with roughly 207,100 admissions, driven largely by the aftermath of the Vietnam War.⁶ Through the 1980s and 1990s, annual totals generally ranged between 70,000 and 130,000.

The September 11 attacks brought the program nearly to a stop. Only about 27,100 refugees were admitted in FY 2002 as security protocols were overhauled.⁴ Admissions climbed back through the mid-2000s and 2010s, reaching about 85,000 in FY 2016. The first Trump administration then cut the ceiling in each successive year, dropping it to 18,000 for FY 2020 and 15,000 for FY 2021. Actual arrivals were lower still, bottoming out around 11,450 in FY 2021 as COVID-19 compounded the reduced ceiling.⁷

The Biden administration raised the ceiling back to 125,000 and rebuilt processing capacity, reaching about 100,000 admissions in FY 2024. With FY 2026 capped at 7,500, the program has returned to its most restrictive posture on record.

How the Annual Ceiling Works

Each fiscal year, the President sets the maximum number of refugees who can be admitted by issuing a Presidential Determination. Federal law requires the President to hold in-person discussions with members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees before announcing the ceiling and to justify the number on humanitarian grounds or as being in the national interest.⁸

The ceiling is a maximum, not a target. Actual admissions routinely fall below it. Even with ceilings set at 125,000 in FY 2023 through FY 2025, the program came close to that number only once, in FY 2024. The President can also designate an emergency refugee situation and authorize additional admissions beyond the ceiling for up to twelve months if an unforeseen crisis demands it.⁸ The determination also breaks the overall number into regional allocations and processing categories.

Who’s Counted in These Numbers

The admissions figures above cover only people admitted under the formal refugee designation, which under federal immigration law means someone screened and approved while outside the United States because they cannot or will not return to their home country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.⁹

Two related groups are tracked separately and do not appear in refugee admissions totals. Asylum seekers apply for protection after they are already physically present in the United States or at a U.S. border, using the same persecution standard.⁹ Temporary Protected Status is a different category entirely, covering foreign nationals already in the country who cannot safely return home because of armed conflict, natural disaster, or other temporary conditions.¹⁰ Anyone comparing figures across sources should check which category is being measured.

Where Recent Arrivals Have Been Resettled

Resettlement is coordinated through nonprofit agencies operating under a cooperative agreement with the State Department, which work with local affiliates to place refugees in communities across most states based on job availability, affordable housing, and existing diaspora communities.¹¹

In FY 2024, Texas received the most refugees at nearly 9,800, followed by California, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. That roughly tracks with overall population size, though smaller states often resettle more refugees relative to their population because of strong agency networks and tight local labor markets.

1
Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Refugees: 2024
2
The White House. Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program
3
Federal Register. Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026
4
U.S. Department of State. History of U.S. Refugee Resettlement
5
Federal Register. Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025
6
Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Table 13 – Refugee Arrivals: Fiscal Years 1980 to 2024
7
Department of Homeland Security. Refugees and Asylees 2021 Annual Flow Report
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1157 – Annual Admission of Refugees and Admission of Emergency Situation Refugees
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Refugees and Asylum
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S. Code 1254a – Temporary Protected Status
11
U.S. Department of State. Refugee Admissions Reception and Placement Program