As thousands of refugees fleeing war, political violence, and humanitarian crises across the globe remain shut out of the United States, President Donald Trump has expanded refugee access for white South Africans, signing an order that increases the refugee cap for mainly Afrikaner applicants by 10,000 people.
The decision raises the allocation from 7,500 to 17,500 before the end of the current US fiscal year in September, further escalating a diplomatic and political dispute that has already triggered strong reactions in both South Africa and the US.
The move follows an emergency declaration issued by the US State Department to Congress last week seeking to fast-track the processing of white South Africans, whom the Trump administration claims are facing racial discrimination and targeted violence.
The presidential determination, signed on May 21, describes Afrikaners as facing what the Trump administration called an “emergency situation” linked to alleged racially motivated violence and inflammatory political rhetoric in South Africa.
The decision builds on a controversial refugee programme launched last year, 2025, that saw dozens of Afrikaners relocated to the US, even as thousands of asylum seekers from countries including Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo remained stranded after America suspended large parts of its broader refugee resettlement programme.
