Trump Administration Plans To Welcome 17,500 More White South Africans As Refugees
- The Trump administration outlined a plan to admit up to 17,500 refugees into the US during the 2027 fiscal year, with Afrikaners forming the majority
- The State Department sent the notice to Congress on 22 September 2026, citing alleged discrimination against racial minorities in South Africa
- The resettlement programme is expected to cost the US government approximately $500 million, with Afrikaners already arriving under an earlier exemption
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has set out plans to admit up to 17,500 refugees into the United States over the next 12 months, with White South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, expected to make up the bulk of those resettled.
The State Department notified Congress of the proposed allocation on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. According to CBS News, the notice described the refugees as "primarily" Afrikaners from South Africa. The US fiscal year begins in October, meaning the programme would run through to September 2027.
US cites alleged discrimination against Afrikaners
The Trump administration has long maintained that Afrikaners face racial discrimination and persecution in South Africa. The State Department pointed to concerns over agricultural land, employment, education and business policies, as well as rhetoric it claimed contributed to violence against racial minorities.
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President Donald Trump has previously described the situation as a "genocide" — an assertion that has been widely disputed. CBS News reported that some Afrikaners who spoke to its "60 Minutes" programme rejected the genocide characterisation themselves, saying farm murders are part of South Africa's broader crime crisis, which cuts across racial lines.
The South African government has consistently denied that Afrikaners are being subjected to any systematic persecution, and official crime data indicates that violent crime affects communities throughout the country regardless of race.
Refugee policy and cost to US taxpayers
The Afrikaner resettlement push stands in sharp contrast to the administration's broader refugee policy, under which admissions from most other parts of the world have been severely curtailed. Thousands of Afrikaners have already been relocated to the United States over the past 18 months under a special exemption created for the group.
The State Department indicated the 2027 programme would cost approximately $500 million. Officials added that Afrikaners were expected to fully assimilate into American society while keeping costs to taxpayers to a minimum.
The announcement follows new US sanctions imposed last week on South African officials whom Washington accused of discriminating against Afrikaners. The issue has been a persistent source of diplomatic friction between the two countries. During a meeting at the White House last year, Trump raised his concerns about alleged attacks on White farmers directly with President Cyril Ramaphosa and showed footage relating to farm murders. South African authorities maintain there is no evidence of a targeted campaign against White South Africans.
Lamola labesls US program 'Apartheid 2.0'
Briefly News also reported that International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola levelled a sharp rebuke at the United States' refugee resettlement programme for Afrikaners, calling it "Apartheid 2.0" as diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Washington continue to deteriorate. The minister is on a working visit ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. He dismissed the justification underpinning the programme, stating that South Africa has no organised campaign directed at Afrikaners.
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Source: Briefly News
