President Donald Trump’s administration has expanded the refugee admissions cap for the year from 7,500 to 17,500 to allow more white South Africans into the United States.

Reuters reported that a presidential determination signed on May 21 stated that South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority is facing “incitement of racially motivated violence” from the government and political parties.

However, the document did not provide details to support the claims.

Although a State Department spokesperson did not confirm the 10,000-refugee-admissions increase, he said Mr Trump prioritises the programme and determines the number to be admitted into the U.S.

On October 30, 2025, the president announced that refugee admissions would be capped at 7,500—the lowest level since 1980, covering from October 2025 to September 2026.

Mr Trump had reduced the number of refugees to 7,500 from over 100,000 admitted under former President Joe Biden. 

He, however, pledged to prioritise white South Africans, a decision critics deemed discriminatory.

“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.

As of April 2026, State Department data showed that 4,496 of 4,999 refugees admitted to the U.S. in the first three months of 2026 were white South Africans.

South African authorities rejected Mr Trump’s claim that Afrikaners were being persecuted.

“The assertion that white Afrikaners, in particular, endure systemic persecution is entirely without foundation,” the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Reuters.