The Trump administration is considering a plan to more than double the annual limit for refugee admissions in order to bring more white South Africans to the United States, according to an administration official. The proposal follows a radical overhaul of the nation's refugee admissions program, which now explicitly prioritizes Afrikaners.
Background on refugee program changes
President Donald Trump has already lowered the ceiling for annual admissions from 125,000 to a record-low 7,500, shutting off resettlement for thousands of already-vetted refugees. Those admissions have been largely limited to white South Africans. U.S. officials are now considering increasing that cap by another 10,000 to resettle more Afrikaners, according to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the plans.
Official comments on South Africa
Andrew Veprek, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, appeared to confirm the discussions during an event with the Center for Immigration Studies on Thursday. “South Africa is kind of the DEI regime par excellence, and so there is an important kind of signaling function in why we want to bring people from South Africa here,” Veprek said, referencing the president's crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
President Trump has claimed that white farmers and Afrikaners are experiencing a “white genocide” enabled by South Africa's government, a claim that officials and prominent Afrikaners have vehemently denied. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, told reporters last year that “what's happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created.”
Current refugee admissions data
Under Trump, the U.S. admitted roughly 4,500 South Africans as refugees through the first six months of the fiscal year, according to the State Department. The only other refugees admitted this fiscal year were three Afghans. The administration is now looking at the “possibility” of raising the ceiling for refugee admissions to allow more white South Africans, Veprek said.
A State Department spokesperson told The Independent: “President Trump has explained why we are resettling Afrikaner refugees in the United States. The U.S. position on this humanitarian initiative has not changed. If the president decides to raise the refugee admissions cap, he will do so at the appropriate time, and any numbers discussed at this point are only speculation.”
Criticism from refugee groups
The radical reduction of refugee admissions marks a stark break from long-standing refugee policy informed by humanitarian needs, not ideology or identity, according to refugee resettlement groups. Beth Oppenheim, CEO of HIAS, the nation's oldest refugee agency, said in a statement: “So many are being left behind. Afghans who have no pathway to reunite with their loved ones. Iranian religious minorities, including hundreds of Jews, who are vulnerable in a way that many of us can barely imagine. We have to continue to remind the world that these stories matter — that these lives matter — and always will.”
Moments after Trump entered office last year, the administration abruptly canceled previously arranged refugee flights, stranding thousands. Homeland Security also threatened to cut off humanitarian protections for thousands of Afghans who fled after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, claiming “notable improvements” in Afghanistan’s national security. In the months that followed, the administration slashed financial aid and healthcare coverage for refugees, cutting them off from Medicaid, Medicare, children’s health insurance and emergency food assistance.
In May, a first group of 59 white South Africans were admitted as “refugees,” and Trump said the United States “essentially extended citizenship” to them. He then set the record-low refugee ceiling of 7,500 for fiscal year 2026, which began October 1, 2025.
