The Trump administration has announced a significant reduction in the number of refugees the United States will admit over the coming year, setting the cap at just 7,500. This represents a drastic cut from the previous limit of 125,000 established under former President Joe Biden and marks the lowest refugee admissions ceiling in modern US history. The decision also prioritizes white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, as primary beneficiaries of the refugee program. This move has sparked considerable controversy both domestically and internationally, raising questions about US refugee policy, humanitarian commitments, and racial preferences.
The restriction was formalized in a notice published on Thursday in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government. While the notice did not provide a specific rationale for the reduction, it stated that the lower admissions ceiling was "justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest." This follows a January executive order by President Trump, which suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Trump framed the suspension as a measure to prioritize national security and public safety, citing the need to better control the flow of migrants and refugees into the country.
Historically, the lowest refugee admission cap before this announcement was set by the Trump administration in 2020, which limited the number to 15,000 for the fiscal year 2021. The new figure of 7,500 is half of that and represents a record low. The recent notice also specifies that these admissions will "primarily" be allocated to Afrikaner South Africans and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands." This prioritization is unusual, as US refugee policy traditionally focuses on a wide range of persecuted groups globally, without explicitly targeting one ethnicity or nationality.
The emphasis on white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, is linked to the Trump administration's stance on South Africa. In February, Trump announced the suspension of critical US aid to South Africa and expressed willingness to offer refugee status to members of the Afrikaner community. Afrikaners are primarily white descendants of early Dutch and French settlers in South Africa. The move was seen as a response to concerns raised within parts of the US administration about alleged persecution of white farmers in South Africa.
This policy has led to diplomatic tensions between the US and South Africa. South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after he accused President Trump of "mobilising a supremacism" and using the plight of white South Africans as a “dog whistle” to appeal to racial grievances. The tension escalated during a May Oval Office meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump claimed that white farmers in South Africa were being killed and persecuted, presenting a video that purportedly showed burial sites of murdered white farmers. However, it later emerged that the video footage was from a 2020 protest where crosses symbolized farmers killed over multiple years, not recent or targeted attacks.
The US decision to grant asylum to 60 Afrikaners shortly before this meeting further underscored the administration’s focus on this community. However, the South African government has consistently denied that Afrikaners or other white South Africans face systemic persecution. They argue that the narrative of white victimhood is exaggerated and politically motivated. Crime statistics from South Africa show high overall murder rates but do not indicate a targeted campaign against white farmers. For instance, between October and December 2024, around 7,000 people were murdered in South Africa, but only 12 deaths were linked to farm attacks during this period, including just one farmer. Several of the other victims were farm workers or dwellers, many of whom are black.
The Trump administration’s justification for suspending the refugee program and drastically reducing admissions focuses on protecting American communities and ensuring resources are not strained by large influxes of migrants. On his first day in office in January, Trump stated that the suspension of USRAP reflected the US’s “lack of ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans” and that it was necessary to “protect their safety and security.”
However, critics argue that this policy shift effectively closes the door to many vulnerable groups worldwide who rely on US refugee resettlement programs for safety. Refugee advocacy organizations have condemned the move for both slashing the overall admissions ceiling and for disproportionately favoring a single ethnic group. Krish O'Mara Vign