Nearly all refugees admitted to the United States by President Donald Trump’s administration so far in 2026 are white South Africans, accounting for 4,496 of 4,999, according to State Department data.
The latest data published on April 5 reflected Mr Trump’s promise to prioritise the white Afrikaner ethnic minority in South Africa, who he said face alleged persecution in their home country. The country denied the allegation.
On October 30, 2025, the president announced that refugee admissions would be capped at 7,500—the lowest on record since 1980—for 2026, which runs from October 2025 to September 2026. But the State Department data show that over half of the refugees to be allowed in the U.S. this year are Afrikaners.
“The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa… and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands,” a statement by the White House said.
Mr Trump cut the number of refugees by over 90 per cent to 7,500 from over 100,000 admitted under former President Joe Biden.
His administration singled out the Afrikaners, even though the State Department data does not track race. This has been deemed discriminatory by critics, who argue it marks a shift from the programme’s original purpose.
The American government accepts refugees from over 60 countries for protection based on identity-based persecution. Before the current administration, thousands of refugees in dire circumstances had waited for years to be approved into the U.S.
The president determines the number of refugees after consulting with Congress. However, congressional Democrats said shortly after the White House’s announcement that Mr Trump had not consulted them before capping the number at 7,500 and “prioritising a single privileged racial group”.
The Trump administration eventually consulted Congress on November 20.
“This bizarre presidential determination is not only morally indefensible. It is illegal and invalid. The administration has brazenly ignored the statutory requirement to consult with the House and Senate judiciary committees before setting the annual refugee admissions ceiling,” the members said in a statement.
Noting its “steadfast commitment to racial justice”, the Episcopal Church, an organisation providing services to refugees, had said it would not prioritise refugees from South Africa over others and said it would end services with the U.S. government.
According to the report, over 500 refugees from South Africa have arrived in Texas, followed by Florida and California in November, and three Afghan refugees in Colorado.
A State Department spokesperson told The Christian Science Monitor that details of specific cases were usually not discussed when asked about the admission of other refugees after white South Africans.
Upon his assumption of office on January 20, 2025, Mr Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program over national security concerns. Refugee advocates also faulted the suspension of humanitarian aid as millions are displaced globally.
In January this year, federal courts blocked Mr Trump’s efforts to arrest refugees already in the country who had not yet obtained their green cards.
