Trump admin spends billions to deport Black and brown people while doubling dollars for white ‘refugees’ | Heba Gowayed

What Happened

The Trump administration has reportedly implemented a policy shift in the fiscal year 2025-2026 refugee resettlement program, prioritizing the admission of 10,258 white South Africans while cancelling Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals. Concurrently, the administration has doubled the initial resettlement support, known as 'Welcome Money,' to $4,500 per person for eligible refugees. These actions occur alongside ongoing deportation efforts targeting Black and brown immigrant populations, including those previously holding TPS, who remain ineligible for the cash assistance programs now accessible to the newly resettled South African cohort.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

This shift in resettlement and immigration enforcement reflects a significant change in the application of humanitarian aid and legal protections. By prioritizing specific demographics for resettlement support while simultaneously removing protections for TPS holders from other nations, the administration is altering the criteria for US humanitarian engagement and the distribution of federal social assistance, which has historically been tied to legal status and humanitarian need.

Watch For

Monitor for further executive orders or Department of Homeland Security directives regarding the mass deportation of TPS holders and potential legal challenges to the administration's resettlement selection criteria. Additionally, observe congressional oversight hearings regarding the allocation of the increased $4,500 per-person resettlement support funds.