Trump administration to admit primarily Afrikaners under new refugee proposal

The Trump administration plans to set a refugee admissions ceiling of 17,500 over the next 12 months, consisting primarily of white Afrikaners from South Africa, according to a State Department notice sent to Congress. The proposal has drawn criticism from refugee advocates who argue it sidelines other nationalities fleeing persecution.

The Trump administration has announced plans to set a refugee admissions ceiling of 17,500 over the next 12 months, with the intake consisting "primarily" of white Afrikaners from South Africa. The proposal was detailed in a State Department notice sent to Congress on Tuesday. President Donald Trump has claimed that Afrikaners face persecution based on their race in South Africa, a Black-majority country — allegations the South African government has denied. Trump paused all US refugee admissions upon taking office in January 2025, stating they would restart only if in the country's best interests. Weeks later, he launched an effort specifically to bring in Afrikaners, drawing criticism from refugee advocates who argue the policy excludes people of other nationalities fleeing persecution and violence. The notice states that the administration "anticipates that Afrikaners from South Africa will fully assimilate into the United States in a manner that preserves taxpayer resources for US citizens." Resettlement under the proposed ceiling is expected to cost approximately $500 million. Data from the State Department through August shows that nearly all of the nearly 3,000 people admitted as refugees in the current fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, were South Africans — all but three. In contrast, the Biden administration brought in more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries in fiscal year 2024. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, criticized the plan, calling it "an abdication of our global humanitarian leadership and an abandonment of thousands of vulnerable families."