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The Trump administration may allocate 30,000 of a 40,000 refugee cap to white South Africans, specifically Afrikaners, shifting from prioritizing those fleeing war or persecution.
Members of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) react outside a South African court in Ventersdorp, North West Province, on May 22, 2012, as the verdict was read in the trial of two men accused of killing white supremacist leader Eugene Terre’Blanche. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)
US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering allocating three-quarters of a sharply reduced refugee admission cap to white South Africans, news agency Reuters reported on Monday.
According to meeting notes reviewed by the agency, Angie Salazar, acting director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services, told stakeholders that the refugee cap for the coming fiscal year could be set at 40,000. Two other sources, who declined to be named, said 30,000 of those slots were expected to be earmarked for Afrikaners.
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Afrikaners white South Africans descended largely from Dutch settlers who colonised the country.
Afrikaners are not an unfamiliar name in India. Some of South Africa’s best-known cricketers, from Hansie Cronje to AB de Villiers to Faf du Plessis, all of them hail from Afrikaner families, which acts as a reminder that “white South Africans” are a distinct community within the country’s diverse population.
The proposed refugee quota marks a sharp departure from recent years. The Biden administration had kept the cap at 125,000, admitting 25,465 people in 2022, 60,014 in 2023, 100,034 in 2024 and 27,308 in 2025, according to a Migration Policy Institute report accessed by the Middle East Eye.
Past administrations prioritised resettling people fleeing war or persecution, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or sexuality.
Trump, however, has repeatedly claimed that white South Africans are facing what he calls a “white genocide”, a narrative dismissed as baseless by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and even by a delegation of white South Africans during an Oval Office meeting.
In May, nearly 60 white South Africans were granted refugee status in the US and resettled, despite Trump having suspended the refugee programme after returning to office.
Other groups who may still find space in the new refugee intake are Afghans who assisted US forces and possibly Ukrainians, Reuters reported.
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
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