U.S. boosts Afrikaner refugee quota, adding 10,000 white South Africans

The Trump administration has filed an emergency determination with Congress to raise the U.S. refugee ceiling for the fiscal year ending September to 17,500, up from 7,500. The increase would allocate an additional 10,000 slots to white South Africans of Afrikaner descent, which the State Department says are facing “escalating hostility” and discrimination in South Africa.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Afrikaners are victims of systematic persecution, a narrative the South African government rejects as baseless. The administration has responded by cutting U.S. aid to South Africa, boycotting the 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg, and confronting President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office. The State Department estimates the cost of resettling the extra 10,000 refugees at about $100 million.

Between October 2025 and April 2026 the United States admitted 6,069 refugees, of which 6,066 were South Africans. Under U.S. law the administration must consult Congress before adjusting the refugee ceiling, and officials are scheduled to meet with lawmakers later this week.