Trump raises refugee ceiling by 10,000 to bring in more white South Africans

Donald Trump increased the refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 for this year. The document, dated May 21, said white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity face an emergency situation due to the "incitement of racially motivated violence" by the government and political parties in the majority-Black country. Trump froze refugee admissions from around the world when he took office in January 2025, but weeks later launched a program exclusively aimed at bringing in white South Africans.

South African foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri rejected the assertion that European-descended Afrikaners face danger and discrimination, stating "The assertion that white Afrikaners, in particular, endure systemic persecution is entirely without foundation." A State Department spokesperson declined to confirm the 10,000-person increase to the refugee cap but said the program was a Trump priority. Trump initially set the refugee ceiling at a record-low 7,500 for fiscal year 2026, which ends on September 30. His administration had already brought in 6,000 white South Africans by the end of April. Trump's decision to increase the number of refugee admissions brings the total ceiling to 17,500.

In Trump's presidential determination to expand the program, he cites "new disruptions" of refugee operations in South Africa as contributing to the urgent need to bring in more Afrikaners. The Trump administration is interested in bringing white South African refugees to the White House for World Refugee Day on June 20.