Trump Administration Plans to Admit Up to 17,500 White Afrikaners as Refugees in Fiscal Year 2027

Trump Administration Plans to Admit Up to 17,500 White Afrikaners as Refugees in Fiscal Year 2027

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to set a U.S. refugee admissions ceiling of 17,500 for fiscal year 2027, with the slots going primarily to White Afrikaners from South Africa, according to a State Department notice sent to Congress on Tuesday and obtained by CBS News and other outlets.

Fiscal year 2027 begins in October. The notice states that admissions will “primarily” consist of Afrikaners, a White ethnic minority of mainly Dutch descent whom President Donald Trump has described as facing racial oppression in South Africa.

The State Department said Afrikaners face “the seizure of agricultural property without compensation; government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business; and hateful rhetoric fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored minorities.”

It added that the group is expected to “fully assimilate into the United States in a manner that preserves taxpayer resources for U.S. citizens.” Resettlement under the proposed ceiling is projected to cost approximately $500 million.

South African officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Afrikaners face systematic persecution or a “genocide,” describing the assertions as baseless.

The plan continues a policy shift that began after Trump took office in 2025.

The administration largely suspended the broader U.S. Refugee Admissions Program while creating an exception for Afrikaners and some other South African minorities.

In the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, nearly all refugees admitted have been from South Africa, according to State Department data. Earlier this year the administration raised the fiscal 2026 ceiling from an initial 7,500 to 17,500, citing an “emergency refugee situation.”

Presidents set annual refugee ceilings and must consult with Congress.

Under previous administrations, including Biden’s, the ceiling often exceeded 100,000 and allocations spanned multiple regions facing conflict or persecution.

Refugee advocacy groups have criticized the current approach for effectively limiting the program to one group while excluding others fleeing violence worldwide.

The notice requires formal consultation with lawmakers before the ceiling is finalized.