U.S. to prioritize White South Africans in refugee admissions

Just three months after the first group of White South Africans arrived in the United States under a special refugee program, the Trump administration is now preparing to cap total refugee admissions at around 40,000 for 2026, according to Reuters.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said approximately 30,000 of those spots would be allocated to Afrikaners, a Dutch-descended minority in South Africa that President Trump has publicly prioritized for resettlement.

The proposed limit would mark a major shift in U.S. refugee policy. It is a significant drop from the 100,000 refugees admitted during President Joe Biden’s final year in office, although higher than the 15,000-person ceiling Trump set in 2021 before leaving office.

After returning to the White House in January, Trump temporarily froze refugee admissions. Weeks later, he launched a program specifically for Afrikaners, claiming the group faces racial discrimination and even the threat of genocide in majority-Black South Africa.

The South African government has strongly rejected those claims. Officials there have accused Trump of politicizing immigration policy and spreading misinformation.

If enacted, the cap would significantly reshape the U.S. refugee program and likely spark new debate over immigration priorities and racial bias.