President Donald Trump is pushing forward with plans to allow 10,000 more white South Africans into the United States through a special refugee initiative that has become one of the most debated aspects of his immigration agenda.
Documents reviewed by The New York Times show that the Trump administration wants to raise the U.S. refugee admissions limit from 7,500 to 17,500, with most of the additional places intended for Afrikaners, a white South African minority largely descended from Dutch colonists.
The proposal, which was presented to Congress on Monday, is projected to cost roughly $100 million.
The decision has drawn attention because refugee admissions for people from many other nations, including conflict-hit countries in Africa and the Middle East, remain tightly limited under current U.S. immigration policies.
Trump’s administration maintains that white South Africans are increasingly facing racial discrimination and security concerns, describing the situation as an “emergency refugee situation.”
However, the South African government has firmly rejected the allegations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed claims that Afrikaners are being persecuted, describing them as narratives based on “white victimhood” and “white supremacy.”
The refugee disagreement has added to the growing strain between Washington and Pretoria, with diplomatic relations worsening since Trump returned to power.
Apart from the refugee issue, Trump has introduced heavy tariffs on South African exports and cut portions of American aid to the country.
His administration has repeatedly criticised South Africa’s land reform programme, which was designed to address racial imbalances created during the apartheid era.
The report submitted to Congress referenced an incident in Johannesburg in December, when South African officials raided a facility connected to Afrikaner refugee processing. U.S. authorities claimed American personnel were detained and passport details were exposed during the operation.
South African authorities denied those accusations, stating that the raid targeted undocumented Kenyan nationals allegedly operating illegally at the location.
According to the Trump administration, the incident demonstrated what it called “escalating hostility” against Afrikaners in South Africa.
The latest proposal also represents a significant change in America’s refugee policy. Former President Joe Biden had increased the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 in 2024 after earlier reductions during Trump’s first term.
Since returning to office, Trump has drastically lowered the cap to 7,500 while directing much of the available refugee capacity toward white South Africans and a limited number of other minority communities.
The policy has sparked backlash from refugee advocates and political commentators, who argue the administration is favouring a relatively affluent minority group while millions displaced by war, famine, and instability around the world still struggle to gain entry into the United States.
More than three decades after apartheid officially ended, South Africa continues to rank among the world’s most unequal societies. Although white South Africans represent a small percentage of the population, they still control a considerable portion of the country’s private land and wealth.
Congress is expected to review the proposed refugee expansion in the coming days, though such consultations are widely viewed as a formality before final approval by the White House.