From 29,000 to Zero: Persecuted Christian Refugee Admissions Collapse
Open Doors and World Relief say 2026 is on track to be the first year in at least 25 years with no persecuted Christians resettled in the US
The short answer
The United States admitted roughly 29,000 persecuted Christian refugees in fiscal year 2024 but is on track to admit essentially none in fiscal year 2026, according to Open Doors USA and World Relief — the first such year in at least 25 years, with nearly all refugees admitted this year arriving through a special exception for South African Afrikaners.
The number is stark enough that it stops the conversation: 29,000, then zero.
That is the trajectory of persecuted Christian refugee admissions to the United States between fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2026, according to reporting from Open Doors USA and World Relief. The two organisations conclude that this will likely be the first year in at least 25 years — and possibly ever — in which the US Refugee Admissions Program resettles no persecuted religious minorities at all.
Nearly every refugee admitted this year came through a single special exception, created for South African Afrikaners.
"The door that let persecuted believers reach safety has effectively closed this year. The persecuted church's first request is not rescue — it is to be remembered, prayed for, and spoken up for."
Click to copy and shareWho This Leaves Behind
Roughly one in seven Christians worldwide currently faces persecution for their faith. That is not an abstraction. It is the Nigerian widow whose village was burned. It is the Iranian house-church leader with a warrant out for his arrest. It is the Afghan believer who cannot tell his own family what he believes.
For decades, the American resettlement pipeline was one of the few doors those believers could walk through.
"America Is Always the Refuge"
Pastor Ara Torosian knows what that door meant. "America gave us the freedom," he said, "to stop being afraid." He added simply: "America is always the refuge for the persecuted."
Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors USA, framed the stakes in terms the persecuted church understands better than most. US policy, he said, "sends a message to the persecuted Church" — a message about whether they have been forgotten.
What Is Being Asked For
Open Doors USA and World Relief are not asking for security screening to be weakened. They are asking the administration to restore priority consideration for Christians and other religious minorities fleeing persecution, while keeping every existing vetting protocol in place.
That is a narrow, specific ask. And it is one that believers can pray for, write about, and press for by name.
The Church's Response
There is a temptation, reading a number like this, to feel the story is too large to touch. It is not. Policy changes when constituents care out loud. And the persecuted church has never asked primarily for rescue — it has asked to be remembered.
Hebrews puts it as a command, not a suggestion: remember them as if you were in prison with them.
The door that let persecuted believers reach safety has effectively closed this year. The persecuted church's first request is not rescue — it is to be remembered, prayed for, and spoken up for.
Biblical Perspective
The New Testament treats the suffering church as one body with the comfortable church. Paul collected offerings from Gentile congregations for believers in famine-struck Jerusalem. Hebrews commands us to remember prisoners as though chained beside them. Advocacy for the persecuted is not politics bolted onto faith — it is what membership in one body actually looks like.
"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."
— Hebrews 13:3 (NIV)
Pray With Us
Lord, we lift up every believer tonight who has nowhere left to run. You are the refuge that no policy can close. Comfort those who have been waiting years for a door that did not open. Give courage to Ryan Brown, to Pastor Torosian, and to everyone advocating for the forgotten. Move the hearts of those in authority. And make Your church loud on behalf of those who cannot speak. Amen.
Declarations to Speak
- ›The persecuted church is not forgotten — God sees every one!
- ›The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble!
- ›Doors that men close, God can open!
- ›We will remember them as if we were chained beside them!
Take Action
- 1Pray by name for the persecuted church in Nigeria, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea this week.
- 2Support Open Doors USA or World Relief, who are directly advocating for restored priority consideration.
- 3Write to your elected representative asking for religious-minority priority to be restored alongside full security screening.
- 4Bring one persecution story into your small group or church service this month so it stops being invisible.
"29,000 persecuted Christians resettled in 2024. Essentially zero in 2026. Share this so the persecuted church knows it has not been forgotten."
Pray & Speak Life Over This Story
Don't just read — respond in faith. Click below to declare that you have prayed over this story and spoken life into it. Our prayers and words have power to change the world.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." — Proverbs 18:21
Your Prayers & Words Have Power
Every time you pray over a story and speak life, you are partnering with Heaven to see God's Kingdom come on earth. When believers around the world agree in prayer, mountains move. Keep praying over these matters — your consistency in intercession is changing the world.
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." — James 5:16
Prayer Is Powerful — So Is Action.
You've prayed. Now take it further. Join or start an outreach group in your area and take the love of Jesus to the streets. Every act of love, every meal shared, every prayer prayed in person is the Kingdom advancing in your community.
"Faith without works is dead." — James 2:26
Questions people are asking
How many persecuted Christian refugees has the US admitted in 2026?
+
Open Doors USA and World Relief report that fiscal year 2026 is tracking toward zero admissions of persecuted Christian refugees, compared with roughly 29,000 in fiscal year 2024. They describe it as likely the first year in at least 25 years with no persecuted religious minorities resettled through the US Refugee Admissions Program.
How many Christians worldwide face persecution?
+
Roughly one in seven Christians globally face persecution for their faith, according to figures cited by Open Doors.
What are Open Doors and World Relief actually asking for?
+
They are asking the administration to restore priority consideration for Christians and other religious minorities fleeing persecution, while maintaining all existing security screening protocols — not to relax vetting.
Sources & further reading
- 1.From 29,000 to Zero: Persecuted Christian Refugee Admissions PlungeCBN News
- 2.World Watch List 2026Open Doors
About the Author
Daniel Ziedins
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Daniel Ziedins is the founder and editor-in-chief of Thy Kingdom News. A passionate believer with a heart for revival, missions, and seeing God's Kingdom advance across the earth, Daniel created this platform to report on what God is doing in the nations — the stories the mainstream media won't tell. He is also the creator of LoveOnTheWorldMap.com, a global initiative to map acts of God's love worldwide. Daniel believes that every testimony, every revival report, and every prayer answered is evidence that the Kingdom of God is here and advancing.
Topics:
"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."
Hebrews 13:3 (NIV)
Get encouraging Kingdom news, testimonies, and prayer points weekly.
Related Stories
Visions of Jesus: Muslims Across the Middle East Are Meeting Christ in the Middle of War
Pastor Georges Houssney of Horizons International says the pattern is now unmistakable: where war breaks out across the Middle East, Muslims begin having dreams and visions of Jesus — and walking into churches asking who He is.
Nigeria Accounts for 72% of Christians Killed Worldwide — and a Governor Just Drew a Line
Of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith worldwide in the last reporting year, 3,490 were in Nigeria. In September, Plateau State's governor ordered security agencies to shut down unauthorised religious enforcement.
24/7 Prayer House Transforms Crime-Ridden City in 18 Months
Crime rates dropped 67%. Teen pregnancy fell by half. Three major gangs disbanded. This is what happened when a small group of believers started praying 24/7 for their city.