US plans to admit 17,500 refugees, primarily Afrikaners from South Africa

Wednesday 23 September 2026 - 10:25

By: Azzat Manal

US plans to admit 17,500 refugees, primarily Afrikaners from South Africa

The Trump administration plans to set the United States’ refugee admissions ceiling at 17,500 for fiscal year 2027, with the majority of those places expected to be allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa, according to a notice sent by the State Department to Congress.

The proposed ceiling, which applies to the fiscal year beginning in October 2026, represents a significant shift in the U.S. refugee program. The administration said the new arrivals would primarily be South African Afrikaners and estimated that their resettlement could cost around $500 million.

The State Department’s notification argues that Afrikaners face threats including land seizures without compensation, discriminatory government policies and racially motivated violence. The administration has previously cited these concerns as the basis for creating a special pathway for white South Africans seeking refugee status in the United States.

South Africa’s government has repeatedly rejected the characterization of Afrikaners as a persecuted racial group. Pretoria has argued that policies criticized by Washington are linked to efforts to address inequalities inherited from apartheid and has disputed claims that white South Africans are facing systematic racial persecution.

The issue has become a major source of tension between Washington and Pretoria. In September, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions targeting certain South African nationals over alleged involvement in racially discriminatory policies or actions. South Africa responded that Washington was relying on distorted portrayals of the country’s domestic policies.

The Afrikaner refugee program was launched during Trump’s second administration after the United States suspended most refugee admissions in early 2025. Since then, thousands of South Africans have been admitted under the special arrangement. State Department data cited by Reuters showed that almost all refugees admitted during the current fiscal year through August were from South Africa.

The new plan has also drawn criticism from refugee organizations, which argue that prioritizing one nationality and ethnic group comes at a time when people fleeing conflicts and persecution in other parts of the world face sharply reduced access to the U.S. refugee system. Reuters reported that the previous administration admitted more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries during fiscal year 2024.

The administration, meanwhile, has said it expects Afrikaners admitted through the program to integrate into American society while limiting the long-term burden on U.S. taxpayers. The policy is part of a broader restructuring of American refugee and immigration policy under Trump.

The proposed 17,500 admissions will therefore place the U.S.-South Africa relationship under further scrutiny, particularly as both governments continue to disagree over race, land policy, migration and the treatment of South Africa’s white minority.