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In a move that has sparked global criticism, the Trump administration has announced that the United States will admit only 7,500 refugees in the next fiscal year — a drastic reduction from previous years — with most of the available slots expected to be filled by white South Africans.
The news was made public on Thursday through a notice in the Federal Register, confirming a sharp decline from the 125,000-refugee ceiling set by the Biden administration just a year earlier. No official explanation was offered for the cutback, though the administration said the decision was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
According to leaked documents and reports by the Associated Press, the administration had been considering the plan for months, framing it as an act of protection for South African minorities allegedly facing persecution.
The announcement comes after former President Trump’s February executive order, which cut financial aid to South Africa following accusations that the country’s Black-led government was practising “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners — descendants of Dutch and French settlers. Trump has repeatedly accused the South African government of promoting anti-white policies, particularly over its land reform efforts, which aim to address historic inequalities by redistributing land.
The South African government has dismissed these claims as baseless, arguing that land expropriation without compensation is a necessary step toward economic justice. Officials have also denied US allegations that white farmers are being systematically targeted or subjected to racially motivated violence.
Statistics show that white South Africans, who make up just 7.3% of the population, still own around 72% of farmland, while Black South Africans, accounting for more than 80% of the population, control only about 4%.
Refugee advocacy groups have condemned Washington’s move. The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) said the new quota “makes it painfully clear that the Trump administration values politics over protection.” “By privileging Afrikaners while excluding thousands of refugees who have already been vetted and approved, the administration is once again politicising a humanitarian programme,” IRAP added. “It is egregious to deny safety to people who have spent years undergoing security checks and are now trapped in dangerous situations.”
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This is not the first time Trump has sharply reduced refugee admissions. During his first term, he cut the limit to 18,000 in 2020 and 15,000 in 2021, citing national security concerns — policies widely criticised as part of his broader anti-immigration agenda. The latest decision is expected to further strain relations between Washington and Pretoria, as South Africa continues to reject what it calls the “false narrative” of white persecution while grappling with deep-seated inequality and the unfinished business of land reform.