United States (US) President Donald Trump’s administration is considering more than doubling an annual refugee limit to bring more white South Africans (SA) into the US, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Trump, a Republican, paused refugee admissions from around the world when he took office in January 2025. Weeks later, he issued an executive order prioritising the resettlement of European-descended Afrikaners, saying they faced race-based persecution in majority-black SA citizens.
SA government vehemently denies the claims.
The US Refugee Admissions Program was formally established in 1980 after hundreds of thousands of people fled wars in Vietnam and Cambodia.
The program expanded to provide safe haven to persecuted people around the globe.
Trump has used it almost exclusively to bring white SA citizens into the US, part of a broader upending of norms around humanitarian protection, opens new tab.
In recent weeks, US officials have discussed expanding the 7 500 person refugee cap by 10 000 to allow more SA citizens of Afrikaner ethnicity to obtain refugee status, said people familiar with internal planning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share non-public government discussions.
The White House referred questions to the US State Department. A State Department Spokesperson did not confirm or deny the discussions around expanding the refugee admissions ceiling.
–Reuters–
