US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a reduction in refugee admissions to just 7,500 per year, the lowest number since the program began in 1980. He also prioritized one specific nationality: refugee status will be granted "primarily" to South Africans, described as "white South Africans" who are "illegal" in their countries of origin, according to a document released Thursday night by the White House. Former President Joe Biden also limited the number of refugees, but the cap was 125,000, and Trump himself set a maximum threshold of 15,000 during his previous term, making this 7,500 the lowest limit to date. When he took office on January 20, Trump halted most refugee admissions to the country through an executive order arguing that the program was "detrimental" to the nation's interests. The few exceptions he has made to this restriction have been the Afrikaners (South Africans descended from Dutch settlers), who have been admitted to the United States, even transferred to the country as a group from South Africa after Trump falsely claimed that They are being victims of a "genocide"These controversies Trump's statements strained relations between the African country and the Washington government, after the South African executive approved a land expropriation law at the end of January.

Five months have passed since the Supreme Court gave the Spanish government 10 days to take charge of 1,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors who are being housed in the Canary Islands and who have applied for asylum or intended to do so. But the central government's response has not yet arrived. Following a meeting between the central and regional governments held this Tuesday, it was agreed that the transfer of these minors to the Peninsula will begin next week, according to sources at the meeting.

Just a few weeks before the amendment to the immigration regulations comes into effect, the Department of Social Rights has abolished the Social Mentoring Program for refugees and asylum seekers, which had been in operation since 2017. The stoppage, in principle, is temporary, and the Directorate General of Migration and Shelters justifies it by the need to take the "Use of people with international protection needs." However, the decision has been surprising within the sector. On the one hand, because there was a verbal commitment for it to continue. On the other, because it comes on the eve of May 20, when the Spanish government will tighten requirements for people awaiting a resolution to their asylum application.

The restrictions on mobility during the coronavirus pandemic made it even more difficult for asylum seekers to reach European territory. This is described in the latest report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) which notes that in 2020 asylum applications fell by 32% across Europe compared to the previous year. Overall, almost 6 out of 10 of these applications were refused but, proportionally, the refusals were fewer than the previous year. Only six countries increased the number of rejected requests and among these, Spain stands out in particular: despite receiving 25% fewer applications, it denied 276% more than in 2019.