Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s administration announced Tuesday it will increase the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 people this year to allow additional white South Africans, known as Afrikaners, into the country under a special refugee program.
The move raises the refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 to 17,500 admissions, though the administration continues restricting most other refugee groups worldwide. Trump stated the increase was justified by what he described as “grave humanitarian concerns” and alleged “incitement of racially motivated violence” in South Africa.
However, the administration has provided little direct evidence supporting claims of widespread racially targeted violence against white South Africans. The South African government has repeatedly denied accusations of systemic persecution, and independent crime data generally shows South Africa’s high violent crime rates affect multiple racial groups across the country rather than targeting whites specifically.
The administration has already admitted more than 6,000 South Africans through the refugee system this fiscal year, while only a handful of refugees from other nations have been approved during the same period.
Critics, including refugee advocacy organizations and Democratic lawmakers, accused the administration of reshaping the refugee system around racial and political priorities while leaving refugees from war zones and humanitarian crises stranded abroad.
Trump officials defended the policy as addressing an emergency situation and argued Afrikaners face discrimination and cultural erasure in South Africa.
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