Source:                       www.worthynews.com

Date:                            September 9, 2026

\Key Facts

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News) – The United States is on track to finish fiscal year 2026 without admitting a single Christian refugee from the 50 countries where believers face the world’s most severe persecution, marking a dramatic reversal from just two years ago, according to a new report from Open Doors US and World Relief.

The report, State of the Golden Door, found that 29,493 Christian refugees from countries appearing on Open Doors’ World Watch List were admitted to the United States in fiscal year 2024. In fiscal year 2026, however, the organization concluded that no refugees persecuted for their Christian faith have been resettled from those nations.

The shift comes as persecution of Christians continues to intensify worldwide. Open Doors estimates that roughly 388 million Christians — about one in seven believers globally — now face high levels of persecution or discrimination because of their faith, up from approximately 260 million when the organization first produced its report in 2020.

Refugee Program Suspended Amid Border and Security Concerns

President Trump suspended the broader U.S. Refugee Admissions Program shortly after returning to office, arguing that record migration had strained American communities and that refugee admissions should resume only when they could be carried out consistently with U.S. national security, public safety and the interests of American citizens.

Trump’s January 2025 executive order did, however, allow the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to approve individual refugees when their admission was deemed to be in the national interest and posed no threat to the United States.

For fiscal year 2026, Trump initially established a refugee ceiling of 7,500, with admissions primarily allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa and others described as victims of illegal or unjust discrimination. In May, an emergency presidential determination raised that ceiling to 17,500, again directing the additional slots toward Afrikaners from South Africa.

Open Doors and World Relief said only three refugees admitted from another World Watch List nation — Afghanistan — were confirmed not to be Christians or members of another persecuted religious minority. The organizations therefore concluded with a high degree of confidence that fiscal year 2026 will end with no religiously persecuted refugees from those countries being resettled through the program.

Christian Leaders Ask Trump to Restore Religious-Persecution Priority

The development has created an unusual tension for Christian conservatives who strongly support secure borders while also seeking protection for believers facing imprisonment, torture, and death because of their faith.

World Relief and Open Doors emphasized that they are not calling for unsecured borders or unrestricted immigration. Instead, they are asking the administration to distinguish between illegal immigration and refugees who are vetted overseas and can demonstrate a credible fear of persecution.

Their appeal also points to Trump’s own record during his first presidency. In his fiscal year 2020 refugee determination, Trump gave top priority to refugees who had suffered persecution, or had a well-founded fear of persecution, because of their religion.

“We urge you to once again prioritize Christians and other religious minorities fleeing religious persecution,” World Relief and Open Doors wrote in an appeal to the president as his administration prepares refugee policy for fiscal year 2027.

For Christians watching brothers and sisters suffer across Iran, Nigeria, China, North Korea, and other hostile nations, the question does not have to be framed as compassion versus security. America can protect its borders, carefully vet those seeking admission, and still make room for genuine victims of religious persecution.

For generations, the United States has championed religious liberty worldwide. As persecution intensifies, Christian leaders are now praying that America will once again extend that protection to at least some of those paying the highest price for following Christ.