Trump Administration Limits Refugee Admissions to Mostly white South Africans
By BRIDGET BROWN, BERNARD MCGHEE, CURTIS YEE, LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA, NELL CLARK AND KIANA DOYLE
President Donald Trump‘s administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500 and they will mostly be white South Africans, a dramatic drop announced Thursday that effectively suspends America’s traditional role as a haven for those fleeing war and persecution.
No reason was given for the numbers, which are a significant decrease from last year’s ceiling of 125,000 people, set under the Biden administration.
The notice published on the Federal Register said only that the admission of the 7,500 refugees during 2026 fiscal year was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
The Associated Press previously reported that the administration was considering admitting as few as 7,500 refugees and mostly white South Africans.
Israel will resume military strikes on targets within Israeli-occupied zone of Palestinian territory, official says
The guarantors of the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal have told Hamas that Israel will resume — and they will not object to — military strikes on targets within the Israeli-occupied zone of the Palestinian territory after a deadline for militants to leave the area expired Thursday.
A senior U.S. official said that in messages passed to Hamas by Egypt and Qatar on Wednesday the group was told its remaining fighters in the yellow zone had 24 hours to leave or face Israeli strikes. After the deadline passed, the official said, “Israel will enforce the ceasefire and engage Hamas targets behind the yellow line.”
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations.
National Guard ‘quick reaction forces’ to be trained in civil unrest
National Guard soldiers patrol at Union Station, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Washington.
Military leaders have ordered the National Guard in every state to develop a “quick reaction force” of troops trained to deal with civil disturbances and riots that can be ready to deploy with just hours’ notice.
It’s the latest indication of longer-term Trump administration plans to more readily send soldiers into U.S. streets.
A set of memos circulated this month direct Guard units in all 50 states and the U.S. territories to train a contingent of soldiers in a specialized course that includes the proper use of batons, body shields, stun guns and pepper spray.
The memos, reported earlier by The Guardian, give various numbers for each state’s force — often 500 each — that total more than 23,000 troops in all.
Washington, DC, will cover benefits for SNAP and WIC recipients
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she has authorized local funds to be used to make sure that residents enrolled in SNAP and WIC receive their November benefits despite the federal shutdown and federal aid suspension.
According to the D.C. government, about 85,000 District households receive SNAP each month, and 8,300 households receive WIC benefits, which allows them to purchase items such as baby formula.
“We were hopeful it wouldn’t come to this — and we still need the federal government to reopen as soon as possible — but for right now, we’re moving forward to ensure we take care of DC residents in November,” Bowser said in a statement.
Ranking Senate Democrats investigate the financing of Trump’s White House ballroom
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said they are launching an investigation into the donors and money flowing to the renovation and construction project.
“The public has a right to know exactly who is funding the destruction of a protected historic structure, how much they are contributing, and what, if anything, they have been promised in return,” the senators said in a statement.
They are the top Democrats on the three committees with jurisdiction over the White House and its construction projects.
East Wing demolition blocked from view at White House Halloween event
Construction is pictured before President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to greet families during a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington
The construction for Trump’s planned ballroom was mostly hidden behind a white wall as attendees gathered on the South Lawn for the event. Above the wall, large construction machinery could be seen in the area.
Top Democrats slam Trump administration over new refugee limits
Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a joint statement with other Democratic lawmakers that the Trump administration is defying federal laws.
“This bizarre presidential determination is not only morally indefensible, it is illegal and invalid,” they said.
The Trump administration is “skipping over the tens of thousands of refugees who have been waiting in line for years,” and “prioritizing a single privileged racial group—white South African Afrikaners,” they said.
The administration has not yet consulted with Congress about its plan, as is required by law. They said the process that exists to ensure such decisions reflect “the rule of law, not the racial preferences or political whims of any one president.”
Attorneys are frustrated Border Patrol official is no longer required daily in court
Attorneys representing the coalition of protesters and journalists suing federal authorities over allegations of excessive use of force expressed frustration Thursday over senior Border Patrol official Greg Bovino no longer being required to appear in court daily.
“Defendant Bovino himself has stated publicly that the reporting requirement the government now challenges poses no obstacle to his work,” the attorneys said in a Thursday court filing. “Indeed, he said after the district court’s order that he ‘looks forward’ to reporting to Judge Ellis.”
An appeals court intervened Wednesday and suddenly blocked an order that required Bovino to give unprecedented daily briefings to a judge about immigration sweeps in Chicago. The suspension came just hours before his first meeting with the judge.
Trump and first lady hand out candy at White House Halloween celebration
The president and his wife opted against costumes, but Trump, in his regular suit, wore a red hat that said “USA” while the first lady wore a beige coat.
The young children of White House staffers — accompanied by their parents — were among the first in line of costumed trick-or-treaters to get candy from the Trumps.
Hegseth orders the military to send lawyers temporarily to the Justice Department
“I am directing you to collectively identify 48 attorneys and 4 paralegals from within your Military Department who may be suitable for detail” to the Justice Department to act as special assistant U.S. attorneys, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a memo this week and reviewed by The Associated Press.
It’s the latest effort to send military and civilian attorneys working for the Pentagon to the Justice Department, this time to staff offices based along the U.S. southern border or where federal immigration enforcement operations are taking place.
The memo says the Justice Department asked for 20 lawyers to help support its offices in Memphis, where the National Guard has been deployed by Trump; 12 for West Texas — specifically for the cities of El Paso, Del Rio and Midland — and three lawyers and two paralegals for Las Cruces, New Mexico.
