U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the refugee admissions ceiling for the current fiscal year by 10,000 places, a move aimed at allowing more white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity to enter the United States, according to a signed presidential determination reviewed by Reuters.
The document, dated May 21, said Afrikaners faced an emergency situation because of what it described as “incitement of racially motivated violence” by South Africa’s government and political parties.
The increase lifts the U.S. refugee ceiling for fiscal year 2026 to 17,500, after Trump initially set the cap at a record-low 7,500. The fiscal year ends on September 30.
Trump froze refugee admissions from around the world after returning to office in January 2025, but later launched a special program focused on white South Africans. The policy has drawn criticism for prioritizing one group while leaving thousands of refugees from other regions, including Africa and Asia, outside the system.
Government figures show that the Trump administration had admitted about 6,000 white South Africans by the end of April. Only three non-South African refugees had been admitted during the same fiscal year, according to Reuters.
South Africa rejected Washington’s claims that Afrikaners face systematic persecution.
“The assertion that white Afrikaners, in particular, endure systemic persecution is entirely without foundation,” South African foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Reuters.
The White House document did not cite specific examples of the South African government inciting racial violence.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to confirm the 10,000-person increase but said the refugee program remained a Trump priority and that the president would decide admission levels.
The program has also strained ties between Washington and Pretoria. Tensions rose in December after South African authorities raided a Johannesburg building where U.S. staff and contractors were processing refugee applications. After talks between diplomats, South Africa allowed the program to continue.
In the presidential determination, Trump cited “new disruptions” to refugee operations in South Africa as another reason for expanding admissions.
The administration is also considering bringing white South African refugees to the White House for World Refugee Day on June 20, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. official and an internal government email.
South Africa’s apartheid system, which formally ended with democratic elections in 1994, enforced racial segregation across schools, neighborhoods and public facilities. According to 2022 census data, Black South Africans make up about 81% of the population, while white South Africans, including Afrikaners, account for about 7%.