In a move that has already sparked global outrage, the Trump administration has announced a drastic reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the United States, capping admissions at just 7,500 for the next year. According to a notice published on Thursday, the majority of these slots will be reserved for white South Africans, primarily from the Afrikaner community.
The new ceiling marks the lowest refugee limit in U.S. history, a sharp drop from the 125,000 cap set by former President Joe Biden. The administration did not provide a clear rationale for the reduction but described it as being “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP), claiming it was necessary to “prioritize national security and public safety.” The new directive appears to be an extension of that stance, with a controversial racial tilt that has ignited debate across both domestic and international circles.
According to the notice posted on the Federal Register, the 7,500 refugee admissions would “primarily” be allocated to Afrikaner South Africans and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.
In February, Trump announced the suspension of critical U.S. aid to South Africa and extended an offer to members of the Afrikaner community—descendants of Dutch and French settlers—to settle in the U.S. as refugees. This followed his claim that white farmers in South Africa were being “killed and persecuted,” a statement that led to diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled soon after accusing Trump of “mobilising a supremacism” and projecting “white victimhood as a dog whistle.”
During a tense Oval Office meeting in May, Trump directly confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, showing videos that purportedly depicted murdered white farmers. It was later revealed the footage came from a 2020 protest memorializing farm attack victims over several years, not recent killings as claimed.
The meeting came just days after the U.S. granted asylum to 60 Afrikaners, further straining U.S.-South African relations. The South African government has consistently rejected Trump’s allegations, insisting there is no systematic persecution of white South Africans.
Rights groups and refugee advocates have strongly condemned the decision. “This decision doesn’t just lower the refugee admissions ceiling,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. “It lowers our moral standing.”
Refugees International echoed that criticism, stating the move “makes a mockery of refugee protection and of American values.” The group further argued that Afrikaners “have no plausible claim on refugee status” and are not fleeing systematic persecution.
President Ramaphosa has remained cautious in his public statements, saying only that he hopes U.S. officials “would listen to South Africans about the issue.” The South African leader recently signed a controversial land reform law permitting the state to seize privately owned land without compensation in certain cases, which may have fueled Trump’s stance.
While South Africa continues to battle serious crime, available data shows no evidence of a targeted campaign against white farmers. Between October and December 2024, 7,000 people were murdered in South Africa, of which 12 deaths were linked to farm attacks—only one of them a farmer.
The decision to focus refugee admissions on a specific racial group has triggered heated discussions about fairness, morality, and the future of U.S. humanitarian policy. Analysts warn that the shift could effectively close America’s doors to other persecuted populations, including those who risked their lives assisting U.S. forces abroad.
At Jocomms, we note that the refugee policy’s racial emphasis marks a significant shift in America’s global image—raising questions about whether this is a humanitarian measure or a political statement with far-reaching consequences.
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