OMM Redaksiyası
The Donald Trump administration plans to limit the number of refugees admitted to the United States over the next 12 months to 17,500. According to a notice sent to the US Congress on September 22, the program is expected to primarily include white Afrikaners from South Africa.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa because of their race. The South African government has rejected these allegations.
Changes to the refugee program
After taking office in January 2025, Trump suspended the US refugee admissions program. He said admissions would resume only when they served the country’s interests. Several weeks later, the administration launched an initiative to bring Afrikaners to the United States. The move drew criticism from refugee rights advocates.
The State Department notice said that “Afrikaners from South Africa are expected to fully integrate into American society in a manner that protects taxpayer resources.”
According to the document, implementing the proposed refugee quota could cost approximately $500 million.
Most refugees are from South Africa
During the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30, 2026, approximately 3,000 refugees have been admitted to the United States. According to State Department data through August, all but three of them were South African citizens.
By comparison, President Joe Biden’s administration admitted more than 100,000 refugees from dozens of countries during fiscal year 2024.
Kriş O’Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive officer of the organization Global Refuge, criticized the proposed policy. She said directing the refugee program toward a single group could weaken the United States’ humanitarian leadership and leave other vulnerable families without support.
The US refugee admissions program has historically been designed to resettle people facing persecution or serious humanitarian risks in different regions of the world. The proposed policy would therefore represent a significant shift in the administration’s stated approach to refugee admissions.
