President Donald Trump increased the annual refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 after determining that white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity face an emergency situation tied to racially motivated threats.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom,
President Donald Trump has raised the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 for the current fiscal year to allow more white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity to enter the United States, according to a signed presidential determination reported by Reuters.
The May 21 document said Afrikaners in South Africa face an emergency situation because of “incitement of racially motivated violence” by the government and political parties in the majority-Black country.
The increase raises the refugee admissions ceiling from 7,500 to 17,500 for fiscal year 2026, which ends Sept. 30. Trump had initially set the cap at the record-low 7,500 level after freezing refugee admissions from around the world when he took office in January 2025.
Weeks after that freeze, the administration launched a program specifically aimed at bringing white South Africans into the United States. Government figures show the administration had admitted 6,000 white South Africans through the end of April.
The new determination provides additional capacity for the program as the administration moves to admit more Afrikaner South Africans before the end of the fiscal year.
The White House, the U.S. State Department and South Africa’s government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision marks a significant shift within the administration’s broader refugee policy. While refugee admissions from other countries were suspended after Trump returned to office, the South Africa program was created as an exception focused on a specific population the administration says faces urgent threats.
The presidential determination identifies the situation as an emergency, citing alleged racially motivated incitement against Afrikaners. The document did not immediately draw public comment from either government.
Trump’s action brings the total number of possible refugee admissions for the year to 17,500, with the additional 10,000 slots intended to expand the pathway for white South Africans covered by the administration’s program.
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