The Trump administration has created a special refugee pathway for qualifying Afrikaners from South Africa, with the White House citing what it describes as racial discrimination and humanitarian concerns
A May 2026 emergency determination increased the US refugee ceiling for fiscal 2026 from 7,500 to 17,500, with the additional places allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa
South Africa rejects the basis for the policy and disputes claims of racial persecution, while the Trump administration is continuing the Afrikaner-focused refugee programme and has signalled another 17,500 refugee places for fiscal 2027, primarily for Afrikaners
The Trump administration is continuing to admit Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees under a special programme created during Donald Trump’s presidency, after the US expanded the number of refugees it could accept under an emergency determination in May.
The programme stems from a February 7, 2025, White House order that directed US agencies to prioritise humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the US Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who were identified by the administration as victims of unjust racial discrimination. The order also accused South Africa’s government of policies that discriminated against Afrikaners and cited its Expropriation Act.
In January, the White House said the administration had welcomed the first flight of Afrikaner refugees from South Africa.
Why Is The US Accepting Them?
The latest legal basis is a presidential determination published in the Federal Register in May.
The determination said an “unforeseen emergency refugee situation” existed because of what the US administration described as increased incitement of racially motivated violence by the South African government and political party leaders, along with disruptions to the US refugee admissions programme in South Africa.
It increased the overall US refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 from 7,500 to 17,500 and said the additional admissions would be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa. It also specified that qualifying Afrikaners could be considered refugees while still in their country of nationality or habitual residence.
This means the policy is a specifically authorised refugee pathway for qualifying Afrikaners, rather than a general reopening of refugee admissions for South Africans.
What Does South Africa Say?
South Africa has rejected the basis for the programme.
In a statement issued on October 31, 2025, its Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the programme was based on what it described as a factually inaccurate premise. It rejected claims of a “white genocide” and said the programme conflated voluntary migration with refugee asylum. The department also said South Africans, regardless of political views, could return to the country through legal channels.
In July, the South African Cabinet said white South Africans who had resettled in the US had done so under what it called the “falsehood of a white genocide” and reiterated that South Africans had a home in the country.
Are Refugees Still Arriving?
US Refugee Processing Center records show South African nationals among refugee arrivals during fiscal year 2026, with the latest available report covering October 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. The centre says its figures are drawn from the US Department of State’s refugee case-management system and that historical monthly totals can change because of reconciliation.
The Trump administration has therefore maintained a dedicated route for qualifying Afrikaners while describing the policy as a response to racial discrimination and humanitarian concerns. South Africa disputes that justification and has rejected the characterisation of conditions in the country on which the programme is based.
