On October 30, 2025, the administration announced a refugee admissions ceiling of just 7,500 for FY 2026 – the lowest in U.S. history. For Texas, long the nation’s leader in welcoming refugees, that number represents not only a policy failure, but a moral and economic crisis. The state that has done more than any other to rebuild lives is now being asked to turn people away.
A Legacy of Leadership in the Lone Star State
Since the 1970s, Texas has been a core pillar of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. From Houston to Abilene, Amarillo to San Antonio, the state’s communities of faith, civic institutions, and universities have created one of the most extensive resettlement networks in the country. For nearly a decade, Texas has welcomed more refugees annually than any other state: about one in ten of all arrivals nationwide.
Faith-based and nonprofit agencies including Catholic Charities, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, World Relief, YMCA International Services, the International Rescue Committee, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service have helped tens of thousands of new Texans find housing, employment, and stability. These same communities are now watching it collapse, as those same agencies struggle to survive.
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