The Trump administration plans to admit up to 17,500 refugees to the United States in fiscal year 2027, with most of the places expected to go to white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners.
The administration disclosed the plan in a notice sent to Congress on Tuesday, outlining a major shift in the US refugee resettlement programme, which has traditionally admitted people fleeing war, persecution and other humanitarian crises from countries around the world.
According to the notice, the State Department expects the admissions to be “primarily” Afrikaners from South Africa, citing what it described as discrimination, land seizures and other forms of persecution.
The South African government has repeatedly rejected claims that Afrikaners are a persecuted minority in the country. The issue has contributed to diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Washington.
The administration said the resettlement programme would cost about $500 million and argued that Afrikaners were likely to assimilate into American society without requiring resources that could otherwise be used for US citizens.
Refugee organisations criticised the policy, arguing that prioritising one group leaves people facing conflicts and persecution in other parts of the world with fewer opportunities for resettlement.
Naomi Steinberg, vice president for refugee and immigration policy and advocacy at HIAS, said the US refugee programme had historically provided a pathway to safety for people fleeing violence and persecution worldwide.
The administration’s approach represents a significant change from previous refugee policies. In fiscal year 2024, the Biden administration admitted more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries, according to Reuters.
The Trump administration suspended the US refugee programme after returning to office in January 2025 before reopening it with a focus on Afrikaners and other groups it said faced discrimination.
For fiscal year 2026, the administration initially set the refugee ceiling at 7,500, with admissions primarily allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa. The ceiling was later increased to 17,500 following an emergency determination citing developments in South Africa.
Afrikaners are descendants largely of Dutch and French settlers who arrived in South Africa from the 17th century. They were closely associated with the apartheid system, which institutionalised racial segregation from 1948 until 1994.
Apartheid ended with South Africa’s first democratic, multiracial elections in 1994, which brought Nelson Mandela to the presidency.
The Trump administration has argued that Afrikaners face racial discrimination and violence in post-apartheid South Africa. South African authorities have strongly disputed claims of systematic persecution or a campaign of violence targeting white people.
The proposed 17,500 refugee ceiling applies to fiscal year 2027, which begins in October 2026. The State Department’s notice to Congress indicates that most of the admissions are expected to be allocated to Afrikaners.
