Trump Administration Plans to Admit up to 10,000 More White South African Refugees Into the United States

Dozens of white South Africans, also called Afrikaners, accepted an invitation from the Trump Administration to come to the United States as refugees on May 12, 2025 (Credit: Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Trump administration plans to admit up to 10,000 additional white South African refugees into the United States in the coming months, expanding a controversial policy that has prioritized Afrikaner applicants while sharply reducing refugee admissions from most other countries.

According to an emergency notice sent by the State Department to Congress on Monday, the administration now intends to admit as many as 17,500 Afrikaners during the current fiscal year ending in September, up from the previously disclosed ceiling of 7,500. The administration said "unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation."